


Whimsica Saga

by whimsycreator



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Ambiguous Relationships, Celebrity Crush, Comedy, Dreams, Epic, Fantasy, Friendship, Gay Subtext, Gen, Implied Anxiety, Implied Crush, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Isekai, Long, Lore - Freeform, Magic, Magic-Users, Magical Boy, Mahou Shoujo, Minor Character Death, Novel, References to Depression, Slow Burn, Third Person POV, Too many characters, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Worldbuilding, first post on this site, implied depression, lesbian subtext, lots of subtext, magical girl, magical powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 21:22:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 68,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19326358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whimsycreator/pseuds/whimsycreator
Summary: A lonely, timid girl named Bianca Luna suddenly finds herself whisked away to a very whimsical world without any idea of how to get back home. She makes many odd friends in this world, and goes on a long, magical journey where she has to be brave.Whimsica Saga was originally a Vocaloid fanfiction. I started writing it November 22, 2012. It went through so many revises and edits. It gradually turned from a random jumble of things I like to an actual story with a coherent plot. I guess.The story is ambitiously planned on being a 400+ chapter behemoth, an epic oddessey of the life and growth of Bianca Luna and everyone she meets and helps. There will be even deeper plots despite the lighthearted tone and humorous moments scattered about.You can actually see some of the author’s growth as a person within the progression of the story. At first, the story is silly and ridiculous, but it eventually mellows out. While still whimsical and childlike, it gains depth, articulate worldbuilding, and even develops heavier themes occasionally.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my world.  
> Whimsica Saga was originally a Vocaloid fanfiction, now being reprised as an original work. I started writing it November 22, 2012. It went through so many revises and edits. It gradually turned from a random jumble of things I like to an actual story with a coherent plot. I guess. 
> 
> The story is ambitiously planned on being a 400+ chapter behemoth, an epic oddessey of the life and growth of Bianca Luna and everyone she meets and helps. There will be even deeper plots despite the lighthearted tone and humorous moments scattered about.
> 
> I have such an elaborate personality for Haku Yowane and the others, it was a shame that I had wasted it on something that wasn't original. But now it is.
> 
> This story is about Bianca Luna, a girl who is very shy, doubts herself, but has a big heart and is a hero.
> 
> This story is very close to my heart, I originally started it when I was just a young teen with anxiety. Writing Whimsica Saga’s clumsy, humble beginnings helped me through those times.
> 
> Whimsica Saga, just like its name, was a miracle written on a whim. I never would’ve guessed that the story I wrote to cheer myself up during an episode of anxiety would grow so big and become my magnum opus.
> 
> It's been through so many edits, rewrites, and revises... It was once just a random jumble of things I liked, and might still seem that way in the first few chapters. Now it has a plot and message to it that will unfold eventually.
> 
> It came such a long way. I want to share it with you.
> 
> Now, let the magical tale begin...

This is a story that will make you believe that heroes can be inside the most unlikely of people.

Once upon a time, in a not-so-far-off land, there was a girl.

So far we don't know any details about this girl, or what she's like. But you might have known her once. Wait, maybe you are her...?

Anyway, let's start with the girl's name. Let's see... we shall call her "Bianca Luna".

As for her appearance, she looked a bit odd. Bianca's hair was white, which was just something she had been born with. She had lanky arms and legs, droopy ice blue eyes, and a weird nose she just didn't like.

Anyways, Bianca Luna also had a problem.

This problem was... well, she was kind of lonesome.

Being lonesome, however, did give a person a lot of time to think. Bianca Luna did think a lot, sometimes too much; enough to give her a headache. But it was certainly a way to pass time by.

She'd been a dreamer since childhood, when she had spent a lot of time in her quiet room isolated, with but her stuffed animals and a stack of books from the library. Sometimes with a pack of colored pencils and her journal to scribble stuff in.

Due to living alone in and being homeschooled as a child, she didn't have other kids to play with. Bianca grew very acquainted with being by herself. That's when she started to make up all kinds of fun adventures to pass the time. Adventures like in the books she read. Her room was a magical haven of sorts. The dining room was a huge shopping center. The small bathtub was a calm ocean, the jacuzzi tub was a dangerous ocean, and the shower was the waterfall that ran down a cliff. The stairs led to the sky. The living room was a big relaxing place for her, her dolls and imaginary friends.

The first time Bianca attended public school, everyone thought she was strange. She never understood why. Sure, she talked to imaginary friends and played pretend. Indeed, she would rather read and daydream than run around at recess. Her hair was as white as snow which made her an outcast. For these reasons, peers avoided her and teased her. Even the teachers would take away her toys and journal and told her to quit daydreaming.

Bianca wanted to have friends, but eventually due to hurt feelings she was unable to talk to anyone without shaking and becoming nervous. She had become painfully shy. And ever since then, that's what Bianca had been. Shy and lonesome.

"I want a best friend." She thought a lot of the times.

"I wish… I could have someone to share everything with. Someone who understands me, to comfort me, to entertain me. Who listens to what I have to say, someone who is there for me. And almost even more, I wish I could do the same favor to that person too… that's friendship. I want to experience friendship."

Bianca peeked up from her paper nervously. So far, so good. But she wasn't finished yet, and was already becoming more nervous...

"Th-the things I mostly w-want to share are... the stuff I daydream about. If I had a best friend, we could both pretend that... magical worlds are real and... we could live in them. It would be so fun to have someone to play along with me, and it'd be like... like we're really there…"

On the very day fourteen-year-old Bianca's life changed unexpectedly, this was the journal entry she read aloud to the class.

The topic of the day's Language Arts journal was to describe a thing you thought was absolutely beautiful, a thing that you wanted the joy of experiencing one day.

Bianca wrote about friendship.

Bianca's entry was originally just going to be short and to the point. But this was Bianca Luna, of course. She ended up pouring her heart out and turning it into an elaborate speech.

It took tremendous courage for her to read her entry aloud. The simple fact that people were going to listen to her innermost feelings for once was enough for her to take the chance. Especially as she was secretly addressing it mostly to Camille Rainer, an outgoing and popular girl in her class who she secretly wanted to be friends with.

When Bianca sat back down after speaking, she slid and sunk back into her seat, her face the color of a ripening strawberry, her heart beating so hard that it seemed to have beaten the air right out of her lungs.

"I hope this will work", She thought, twisting her fingers as she did when she got nervous. "I hope I'm finally getting my message across…"

"...Heh."

"Pfft."

But to Bianca's dismay, the snickers came.

The chuckles, snorts and giggles were first spontaneous; spaced-out like the first slow pops from a popping popcorn bag. Then when the bag heated up, the pops would sound in loud, steady succession.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Huh?"

"Is she serious?"

"Bianca is just so weird…"

And to answer Bianca's previous hopes... nope. It didn't work.

Instead, the class only erupted into jarring laughter and spewed out the exact same painful remarks that Bianca had been enduring since she was little.

Well, at least Camille wasn't laughing so much; she was only turned in her chair talking to another girl.

It still somewhat hurt Bianca's feelings though. It looked as if Camille wasn't even paying attention to her.

Bianca froze and felt her heart shatter to pieces. She buried her red face into her soft sleeves, trying to pretend nothing that was happening was real.

But it was real. Even the teacher stood perched in the corner with a hand over his creased face hiding the fact that he was chuckling almost pityingly.

With her head now perched on her hard wooden desk, cold tears began crawling into Bianca's heavy eyelids.

"I should've known this would happen... I really should've known..."

Typical bad day for Bianca.

A few seconds passed and the loud school bell sounded. All the other students stormed out of their desks, out the door, and scurried down the halls, leaving the forlorn girl alone and in the clear.

The room was vacant and she was alone, aside from being with her stuffed cat, Snowbell, who she hid inside her desk during class. She managed to unfreeze herself before weakly standing up to hobble out the door, down the stairs, to the back exit nobody used. Bianca clutched Snowbell to her chest and sighed when nobody could see her.

Bianca was going to walk home. She lived on the other side from where most of the students lived, so the path before her was vastly empty.

The sky above was off-white, frigid, distant and lonely-looking, just like her. Bianca sighed and her distraught breath created a puffy cloud of steam in the midst of the thin, cold air.

Heavy feelings were pushing down on her, yet it was odd... why wasn't she physically feeling heavy? She actually felt strangely light at the moment, like she wasn't carrying anything on her back after all... wait...

Wait a minute...

"Ah! I left my schoolbag in Language Arts class!" Bianca promptly sprung up from her slow slouch, turned right around, and frantically dashed right back to the direction of the school building.

"I need to hurry!" She breathed through her mouth as she ran, leaving more puffs of her breath in the icy air. She suddenly felt as if she were in the middle of a marathon.

Because of the incoming blizzard that was scheduled to hit in the evening, the after-school meetings had all been canceled. School was going to be closed in a matter of minutes. Therefore, Bianca only had several minutes to run back to the class, grab her stuff and run back out.

Bianca was somewhat of a swift runner; she often surprised herself with how fast she would end up dashing in gym class relay races when the pressure was on her. (Provided she didn't trip and fall down). But she also ran out of breath really quickly. Before the school building even was in sight again, she was already panting, her lanky body flimsy like hanging noodles.

When she was almost exhausted, she closed her eyes but kept running. The air she took in suddenly felt thinner, cleaner. She could feel a light, tart coldness through the fabric of her thin hooded jacket. When she opened her eyes again, the the very air surrounding her was white and feathery.

A steady downfall of snow had started and was pelting down softly onto Bianca. It suddenly was uplifting to be alone in the snow, she thought. It was as if she were in a storybook. There even was something a bit wondourous about this snow. It sparkled like diamonds and fell very quickly. Through the thickening iciness, a very clear sound began to ring, resonating through the white, serene air as if the path ahead were completely clear. It was an echoing, clear sound. Listening closely, Bianca could figure it was the ring of a bell.

It was so immersing, that retrieving her schoolbag momentarily slipped Bianca's mind.

"What lovely bell sounds…" She thought, fluttering her eyes shut.

The sounds of the bells were very mesmerizing indeed. Without thinking much of the outcome, Bianca naturally took to follow the sounds of these bells. Her steps became lighter, like skips. Her fallen heart was now hovering back up like a puffy white cloud. As the chiming became quite loud and even clearer, she finally saw a chandelier of bells floating high above her like a garden in the midst of the air! They came in bright yellows, ocean blues, purple mountain majesties and everything in between.

How enchanting!

Bianca stared in awe, as she had never seen anything with a look quite like them.  
It was almost an unreal sight alone, even without the extra fact that, floating around the bells, was a silver ferret who almost appeared like it was flying. It was trotting, hovering across the air, ringing the bells with its tail and little feet.

"Wow! What an enchanting dream!", Bianca thought, putting her hands to her face. Well, of course she thought this was all a dream. This relieved her, as that meant that the incident back at the classroom hadn't really happened after all.

"The next time I have a dream like this, I want to be that ferret," she thought audibly.

"Wait! Hold it right there!"

A yelling voice suddenly pierced through the thin air like a spear and shocked Bianca out of her peaceful, wandering state of mind.

"Wait! Five more minutes, mom! Don't wake me up. I'm having an awesome dream…", Bianca mumbled back to the voice, covering her ears on impulse.

"Mom?! Dreams? What are you babbling about?", the voice said again. It sounded closer than before. And snappier.

Bianca grew shocked. Well, to say it in simple words. Her breath caught in her throat and chilled her windpipe.

"So wait, you were... able to see the ferret and those bells, right?"

The owner of the voice emerged into sight from the enclosure of white mist and snow, eyeing Bianca directly with a perplexed squint on her round face.

"We were in the middle of summoning winter to the Normal Land. Don't tell me you could actually see us!"

She was an odd-looking girl, shorter than Bianca, with hair a bubblegum shade of pink that curled around her face, framing her purple eyes and surprised expression. On her head was what resembled a purple sleeping-cap, with a pastel pink star shape at the end of the tip. The rest of her outfit was a rather endearing-looking mix between a witch outfit, a school uniform, and a thick winter pajamas.

She looked like she wasn't from this world. Only this girl's face was dead serious as she continued to speak over Bianca's mumbles of surprise.

"Well, fortunately, and also unfortunately." she said, "If you were able to see the ferret and those bells… that means... that means you aren't an ordinary girl at all!"

Bianca's mouth fell open as she gasped in a mouthful of the fluttering snow.

"I… I'm not?", she layered her thin hands over her mouth and froze. Just what was happening today?

Bianca was just dreaming though, right? She probably just fell asleep on the piano in the music room for the fourth time, you know, the usual? (Having turkey sandwiches for lunch made her do this for some reason).

"No..." the girl whispered, her wide violet pupils scintillating and her eyeballs round like globes. "You are not at all an ordinary girl..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first few chapters may be a bit shabby, but I promise it'll get better.
> 
> Remember when I said this story is silly at first? Well, this chapter happens to be especially... childish. But like I said, it mellows out soon enough.
> 
> Pepper was originally a male character when this story was Vocaloid fanfiction (Akaito). There might be some parts throughout the story where it refers to her as a “he”. These are mistakes. However, Pepper is actually non-binary and goes by any pronouns. She is referred to as “she” in this story however.

"…No… this means... you are not… an ordinary girl..."

The pink-haired girl continued, her voice becoming lower and more serious by the second. A cold dramatic wind began to blow through the air. She closed her eyes and abruptly shot them back open.

"…It means you're a weirdo."

Bianca's pupils dilated as she stepped back, almost slipping on the fluffy snow below her feet.

"Wha-whaaaaat!?"

So Bianca wasn't a normal girl because she was a "weirdo"? How disheartening!

"You see, only people with certain magical powers can see my companion." The girl said. She held out her gloved hands as the bells faded away, and her flying silver ferret leaped right down and landed into the magical girl's arms.

"But if you still can see them and you don't have magic powers, then that means… something's weird with you." She said with the strangest concerned glare.

"But… I…", Bianca didn't know how to respond.

"OR, do you have magical powers too? Nah… I doubt it." The colorful girl puffed out one of her pinkish little cheeks.

Bianca felt rigid once again as she tightly gripped her hands. "Well, if something really is wrong with me… what exactly... do you mean?" She asked in her hollow, timid voice.

"Well… you're seeing things that aren't there—at least things that really shouldn't exist in your non-magical perception. Oh well." The swirly-haired girl shrugged. "Anyway, Ah! How did I forget to introduce myself!?"

The girl's expression instantly became a bright smile. She pulled out a magic wand and threw into the air, flashed a wink, caught the wand and twirled it and made her pose.

" I'm... The Messenger of the Stars, Magical Stelle! Or something like that."

In the air, an upbeat jingle started to play randomly. Bianca's mouth gaped wide and she slowly applauded in awe at Stelle. Stelle giggled and happily picked up her ferret again.

"This is my ferret, Silverbell! I bet you can guess why his name is Silverbell, right?"

"Awfully unoriginal of you.", Silverbell scoffed, licking his fuzzy paws.

"Oh… be quiet!" Stelle blushed. "And stop acting like you're a cat..."

Bianca squealed again in amazement.

"A talking silver ferret that acts like a cat!?" She blurted.

Stelle seemed to ignore Bianca's surprise, muttering something that sounded like "Such a muggle..."

She cleared her throat and spoke enthusiastically.

"Okay. Now I will test you, in order to see if you really are magical, or like I said, just weird." she spoke loudly. "Ready?"

The small pink-haired girl closed her eyes, pressed her gloved hands together, and twirled around three times like a ballerina. When she separated them, a bagel suddenly sat right between her the palms of her velvet gloves.

"Ta-da!"

"How?!" Bianca thought, unable to register how randomly the food seemed to appear.

"Okay. Here's a very quick and easy task. All you have to do is to transform this bagel into a donut!"

Bianca looked at the bagel. It was a crisp, golden brown. It would've gone perfectly with some cream cheese or lox. Yum… although it really just wasn't the time to be lost in food thoughts.

"Um… how… exactly… do you do that?" Bianca shakily asked. Stelle sighed.

"Okay grasshopper, I will show you, but once, and only once!"

Stelle presented her magical wand of gold, pink and silver, showing off the bright sparkling purple star that shone at the top in the middle of a neatly-tied pink bow. She began to spin and twirl the wand until magical pink bubbles began to glow. Then when she jumped in the air, light began to lift her up.

"Miracle, magical, MANGOOOOOO!"

The bagel in front of her glowed until it transformed into a mouthwatering chocolate donut with white glaze icing, and colorful pink and blue flower sprinkles scattered all upon it.

"Wooooow!", Bianca shouted.

"Here, now you try it!" Stelle proudly handed the wand to Bianca. "You remembered all that, I assume."

"Y-yeah…", Bianca tensely tried to convince herself.

Doing the same spins as Stelle (slightly shabbier), Bianca tried her best to recite the magic words before she slipped mid-sentence in the snow and butchered the final part of the spell.

"Miracle, Magical, MAA"-ka-SPLUNK!

Stelle buried her face in her gloved hands.

"She's just a warpy weirdo!"

"Now, don't be mean to the poor girl…", Silverbell said back. Stelle responded with a grunt.

But when Stelle lifted her palm from her face and opened slowly her eyes, her jaw instantly dropped. For laying gallantly before her overwhelmed eyes was this... this magical land constructed of… sweets, sweets, and... more sweets!

The tall confectionary castle that stood meters in front of them was constructed out of walls of waffles, with touches of whipped cream and sprinkles and gumdrops scattered across the rows!

Nearby was a lake made out of strawberry milk, with glaciers of dry icing with huge cherries on top!

The aroma that wafted in the air all around was the toasty smell of cookies, freshly baking in the oven on a cozy day. Mmm…

The sky was a delicate white, almost giving off a feeling of the nearby holidays.

"I just... what just... did she just... WHAT!?", Stelle exclaimed, her amethyst eyes twitching as she turned her head back and forth.

"I mean... um... I do love sweets, but just being here is enough to make my stomach hurt!" she babbled, in awe of all the edible scenery.

Stelle and Silver heard a shrill scream from a few yards over.

"Ah!? Wh-where is this? Did I do this? What happened…"

It was Bianca, who landed behind a gumdrop rock, looking even more overwhelmed than before.

Stelle couldn't believe this girl. She was able to warp them so far away!?

"I-I just can't believe it!" she ran towards Bianca.

"It's only your first time using magic, and you already figured out how to transport to other worlds!?" Stelle flailed her arms in exasperation. "You really are a WARPY weirdo, that's for sure! You just WARPED, man!"

"Wait… I-I have…?" Bianca panicked. "I... why did I do that? What did I do... I just... I DON'T KNOW!"

In such a short time, the weirdest, most fantastical things ever to happen to Bianca... had happened.

"It takes an incredibly high level to be able to transport!", Stelle shrieked loudly.

But then the girls suddenly heard a loud noise coming from the castle.

On the tip of the structure, which looked like a delicious waffle cone, was a pink-haired young girl who wore wearing a dress made of cherries and crepes. Her head was adorned with an ice-cream-cone-crown, with a floating red cherry to top her all off. Her outfit almost looked as if it borrowed elements from all sorts of desserts—or it was maybe just MADE of dessert!

"Townspeople, listen closely!" She yelled merrily through a fortune-cookie-megaphone and twirled so that her outfit billowed.

"I have... a berry, berry important announcement." She suddenly paused, and then every single breathing creature in the town paused. The silence fell like a thick, heavy curtain.

In the midst of sighs and concerned whispers, the jolly girl popped a smile and suddenly sprung in the air, yelling ecstatically (and absurdly loudly).

"It is now time for Princess Candy's hourly FUN, FUN FLAN FIESTA! Whoooooo!"

"YAAAAAAAAAY!"

The townspeople, the tiny little shorter-than-average people clothed in food, began to cheer and holler from all around.

They scurried along the rocky road ice cream roads, across the gram cracker sidewalks, and even rowed fortune cookie boats across the strawberry milk river and yelled and cheered once they got to Candy's castle.

"Now everyone!" Candy joyfully sang, "Let's EXPLODE INTO RANDOM SPARKLES!"

"WHOO!" Disco lights emerged from everywhere, dotting the space around with star-shaped lights, resembling a snowstorm of neon sprinkles.

All of the townspeople began parading around, throwing sparkles and dancing to a loud, lively tune. Soon enough, Bianca, Stelle and Snowbell got caught in the middle of everything…

Meanwhile…

"Enough, enough! I'm sick of my sister doing all these stupid annoying things!"  
Princess Pepper, sister of the Princess Candy, lay irritated on her habanero couch in the castle's dim secluded basement, which only did a halfway job of blocking out all of Candy's obnoxious noise.

Annoyed would have been an understatement for Pepper. She was stuffing peppers inside of her ears attempting to block out the sounds of Candy's "Fun Fun Flan Fiesta", but the steam coming out of her ears from her red-hot angry brain only made them pop out every time.

"Arf arf! But Candy. You are her sister!"

Cayenne, Pepper’s talking pet chili-dog ("Dog" to be taken literally) paddled up on her stubby little legs and started bumping her head on the rim of Pepper’s silky royal chair.  
Cayenne always had energy in her. Even in her sleep, she would still randomly be found bouncing around and even rolling up the walls. Sometimes Pepper went to clean her taco-shaped litter box and would find a small flame burning in it. (Don't ask how.)

"Have I not noticed?", Pepper answered agitatedly. "This isn't some magical cartoon world where sisters are ALWAYS alike."

"You ain't kidding." Cayenne yapped, circling around and wagging her tail. "This is a magical world where sisters are OPPOSITES instead."

Pepper turned her head and sighed, throwing a chili-shaped pillow on her face as if she was trying to sleep.

"I wanna go to my real home! Back to the Fire Kingdom!" She quietly complained into the cushion.

"But I mean really." Cayenne continued, ignoring all of Pepper’s complaints.

"You like black, she likes pink. She likes sweets, and you like spicy things, and both of you couldn't possibly digest the other. She loves to be upbeat and peppy while you're grumpy and agitated all the time. She thinks the skinny end of the chocolate cornet is the head, and you think it's the fat end!"

Pepepr jolted up glaring.

"Arrgh, don't even bring up the chocolate cornet thing again! Just remembering that heated argument we had makes me wanna—"

Luckily, right before Pepper erupted, there was a noise that sounded closer than the rest of the commotion. A strange white-haired girl whom Pepper had never seen before fantastically tumbled through the trapdoor in the corner of the ceiling, landing on her bottom with a thud on Pepper’s flame-patterned carpet.

"AIYEEE, IT'S FIRE! I'M BURNING!", Bianca shrieked and curled up into a soft little ball, panicking from everything that was going on.

"What the heck? Can't you tell that isn't real fire at all?" Pepper shook her head. She rolled out of her couch and stood up, beginning to approach Bianca.

"Hurr... that's weird." Cayenne muttered to herself as she watched. "Pepper doesn't ever crawl out from her couch, not even during the time there was really a fire in here! She made Candy throw ice cream at it to put it out!"

Cayenne circled the living room and began to stalk from behind the couch.

"...But she gets out just because some girl fell through the trapdoor?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, calm down! What's wrong with you?" Pepper lifted Bianca by her noodley arms and helped her to stand up.

"Eep! I… I don't know!", Bianca said, tensely. "Everything's too strange and scary! And it doesn't even feel like it's a dream!"

"It's just my sister's stupid Fun Fun Flan Fiesta." Pepper sighed grumpily, gently letting go of Bianca's arms.

"It's too overwhelming…" Bianca exhaustedly pouted.

"Hm. You know what?" Pepper spoke in a sudden forceful tone that surprised Bianca. "I find it freaky around here too. My sister's nuts. Let's go."

The red-haired princess abruptly snatched the startled Bianca's shaking hand, and jumped with her through a large mirror located in the farthest corner of the room.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Yapped little Cayenne, now staring into the mirror.

The vision of the two on the other side slowly faded into the normal image of the room's reflection as the chili-dog continued barking at the glass.

Apparently, people could only come through the magic mirror when they were in contact with the magical orange scarf Pepper always wore on her neck. The scarves were the symbol of royalty in her family.

Now on the other side of the mirror, Bianca and Pepper were now gazing at a looming large white void which seemed endless. Within the short length which was visible, there was a television set, a couch, and a few small tables.

Bianca was too overwhelmed now to even make a sound.

"We're safe here." Pepper said, setting herself down on a couch. "Two normal people. Well… at least you seem normal compared to what goes on around here."

Bianca only stood there with a paler-than-usual face and blank, hollow eyes. She knew nothing had to be real and that she would snap out of it eventually...

"In fact, you're too normal to even be from around here. So tell me," Pepper eyed the timid girl, tapping her fingers on her knee. "How, and why are you here?"

She spoke sternly, but almost as if she was trying to be consoling without changing her tone of voice from her usual cranky way of talking.

Bianca attempted to calmly reach into her exploding brain and dig up her memory of what had happened.

 

"Well… you see…" She started to explain, "There was this magical… ferret… and a magical girl who… and then… Well, I ended up here because I casted a spell, but I think it went a little wrong…?"

Despite Bianca speaking as calmly as she could, her voice still trembled and her sentences were chopped-up and incomplete.

"A spell you casted led you here? So you're a high-level mage or something?" Pepper asked, with a totally different tone of voice. In fact her eyebrows also rose a good inch above her eyelids in surprise.

Bianca quickly shook her head.

"N-no! I'm… I'm nothing but a-a normal girl, and I don't know how or why I'm here!" Thinking of being lost and trapped make Bianca begin to shake again. "Everything was normal one moment, but now I'm all the way here, and I want to get home…"

Bianca hopelessly collapsed into one of the couches, only to find herself abruptly hitting the hard ground with a thud.

"Ayaya!", she involuntarily exclaimed, as she lost her balance.

"No, that's the holographic couch!" Pepper rushed to her and strained while pulling Bianca up.

"Here's the couch you can sit in." She led her to another one a few inches away. "To be honest, the reason I have fake couches in here is because it feels empty in here with only one."

Bianca sat, and Pepper sat down on the floor, in front of the holographic couch Bianca tumbled through.

"Okay, so tell me." he faced her. "Do you know how you can use magic to get out of here the same way you arrived?" Pepper asked the girl.

"I don't think so... And the wand… I lost it! Or wait… Magical Star Messenger Stelle has it! Or something like that!"

"Magical... Star Messenger...?" Pepper looked completely baffled.

"It's too long a story!", Bianca exclaimed.

 

"Anyways, we have to find that wand!" Pepper said.

"But… why do you want to get away from here so badly?", Bianca asked, eyeing down. "This is… where you live, right?"

"Are you that clueless?" Pepper suddenly spoke with a raised voice again, "It's NUTS here! You're freaked out just being here, so imagine having to LIVE here!"

"I… I miss my home.", Bianca said quietly, off-topic. She glanced towards the ground on the edge of the chair.

"So, what kind of place is your home?", Pepper asked. She seemed to be softening a little bit, despite keeping her stern, serious demeanor.

"Well…" Bianca began. "It's… very, um… plain… but a very nice place."

Memories began flowing in her head, slowly calming her back down.

"I live in a house... well, of course. It's a nice cozy, quiet house… only me and my mom. Outside is a place with a lot of normal buildings, trees, and gardens. A lot of animals live here, but I was never allowed to keep a pet. It rains a lot in the spring and fall and I really love it. Only… only I'm lonely because I've never... had a friend."

Bianca finished speaking with her fist clenched and a thin layer of tears coating her eyes.

She silently hoped Pepper couldn't notice them, so she put on a relaxed smile in order to hide it.

The awkward and silent atmosphere was then promptly disturbed by explosive dark rays of light and a hard sudden boom. Pepper and Bianca flinched and covered their faces.

When they were finally able to open their eyes again, another magical girl stood above them!

She stood in a menacing tall pose, hands-to-hips, on an invisible elevated platform in the midst of the blankness.

She was crowned with flowing dark brown hair tied in a messy ponytail, and a ring of black flowers across the top of her head.

Her outfit made Bianca think of Stelle, only the particular outfit this girl wore was bit more distinct, witchy, and sinister looking.

The strange girl shifted her legs and spoke.

"Stelle ended up here, right? Hmph. What a klutz.", her high-pitched, sour voice was the very definition of sickly-sweet. She pushed herself off the platform using her two boot-wearing legs, and flew in a still formation. The sinister girl dissolved into the form of black sparkles and disappeared, almost looking like she flew through a portal.

"H-hey! I think we'll be able to find Stelle and the wand if we followed her!", Bianca blurted out.

Though she did have skeptical feelings tugging at her. Feelings caused by lack of knowledge of everything that was happening. Bianca knew nothing about either of the strange magic girls. Which one was good? Which side should she be on at all...?

And just what was even going on in the first place?

Pepper rushed ahead of Bianca while she was frozen in thought.

"Let's go. We're getting out of here."

She took her scarf off and hung it in the shape of an oval, and it magically became a portal back to the castle room. Her sharp vermillion eyes reflected determination as she jumped through.

Bianca aimlessly followed Pepper through the portal back into the castle room, watching as he pulled his scarf through the mirror again and put it back on.

Bianca thought that the best thing to do was simply just to go with whatever was happening, as she did think in the back of her head that things couldn't possibly get any more peculiar around here…

But oh, alas! Bianca was wrong!

The cramped castle basement, previously only inhabited by Pepper and Cayenne, was now being infested by a noisy flapping herd of… chocolate chickens!

 

"OH, MAN!" Pepper groaned as she saw all the utter brouhaha.

"HII-YAH!" Cayenne’s small little hot-doggy body flew across the room as she forcefully knocked down a row of the chickens.

"I've got this covered!" She yapped, winking.

But then the row of fainted chickens suddenly began to grow in… familiar-looking sparkles.

As they became brighter and more vivid, the shape of them began to change and morph, until they reformed into… llamas with fruits growing all over their bodies!

Bianca screamed and shrieked and grabbed on the the nearby wall.

"Hey! Snap out of it!" Pepper poked Bianca's shoulder and yelled to her above the commotion. "You seem to have the ability to control magic. Since all the stuff in this room was most likely created by magic, maybe you can fix this!"

"HOW!?" Bianca yelled.

"Just… try and recite any random gibberish!" Pepper suggested, "Maybe you'll happen to say a magic spell that will help us!"

"But what if I end up saying a BAD spell?"

"Just DO it!"

Bianca bravely turned around and tried to catch her breath.

"Um… Super-iffic… fantastic… magical-o… avocado!" She mumbled as the syllables came to her on the spot.

Pepper and Bianca stood back and watched as the fruit llamas morphed into… PARTYING MATH TEACHERS! Blinking like color-changing lights to every color in the rainbow.

They all shook their behinds and spontaneously broke out into a song about a math party.

"It's a big math party, don't you dare be tardy, Study and be smarty, come on everyone! Don't fail and you won't cry, pass and you will eat pi, not the kind with radii, it'll be lots of fun!"

"That doesn't help, try again!" Pepper said.

Bianca felt a feeling of panic return to her yet again.

"Llama-no-no, pie-circle-yo-yo… get-us-outta… I-don't-know, yo!"

This time, Bianca's voice began to echo, until it grew greater, until it was not her voice anymore, but a majestic sound.

Her blue eyes pierced against the darkness, and all the chaos in the background slowly faded away into a bright light, not a blinding light, but a luminous glow soothing to the eyes.

The tips of Bianca's snow-kissed hair lifted up, and golden lights illuminated around her, as if she were an angel.

In fact, Cayenne even began to sing opera in the background to accompany the scene.  
Bianca opened her drooping eyes, now shining like platinum. In an elegant, clear voice, she began to speak.

"Pepper."

She had suddenly learned her name.

"Pepper… listen to me… I have something important to tell you."

Pepper’s eyes began to look like topazes as she gazed.

"The peanut brittle is calling for me." Bianca said, softly but clearly. Her voice rang out like the purest of melodies. "I must depart, because I am of the children who rubbed peanut butter on camels before it was cool. My name is emanating from the toilet of truth... Bianca Luna... Bianca Luna, come forth, it says..."

"Bianca, no!" Pepper murmur-yelled in a soft voice much unlike her. The echo of her saying Bianca's name filled the room.

And with her long yell, the shining, dramatic atmosphere promptly disappeared, and all the chaos in the room returned even stronger!

"Ah! What the heck just happened!? Uh... anyway, you have to try one more time, Bianca! To get us away!" Pepper said. She was now inching backwards past the boundaries of the mirror, to where the chaos couldn't reach.

"I want you to find the circumference of this chicken." A math teacher crept up said to her.

"Aah! Do it NOW, Bianca! I hate math!" Pepper screamed.

"Umm… ah, okay!", Bianca began to stammer uncontrollably. "Well... I um... ah... no... um... yeah..."

Just as Bianca stopped stammering for a while, a rainbow portal appeared right in front of the two and began to shine. The force of the opening was powerful, sending Bianca tumbling backwards into Pepper’s slender body.

"Bianca, that's it! Your aimless stammering was a valid spell to get us out!", Pepper rang in relief, holding Bianca's shoulders.

"It... WAS!?"

Pepper ignored Bianca's question and hastily pushed her aside. On her feet, Pepper immediately bounced right into the glowing circle in with her arms spread wide.

"YAHOO!" Pepper was acting more upbeat than Bianca had ever seen her.

"But wait!" Bianca yelled, leaning towards the portal.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE IT—"

Bianca skipped a moment as she fell the portal whisk her in.

"GOOOOOOOEEEESSSS!"


	4. Chapter 4

Bianca was falling through a blue endless tunnel.

She had flailed fantastically before tumbling right in headfirst as the glowing ring swooshed her towards the other side and abruptly shut itself behind her. It all happened much too fast. The location of her body was shooting way ahead of her where her brain was.

The scream Bianca let out was echoing yards above her as she rapidly plummeted down.

At first, Bianca thought that she was being sucked down by something, like a space vacum or a gigantic magnetic force. It soon came to her that it was most likely only gravity pulling her down, obviously.

In other words... she was plummeting. And plummeting, and plummeting... hm... plums...

There was nothing but silence all around, and a haunting amount of absolutely nothing was to be seen or heard below her.

Bianca was terrified. Just as she was about to declare her life over, a peculiar little pink bottle with the words "drink me" written in fancy cursive, descended from above her head, and then lingered there, falling at the same rate as her.

She grabbed the bottle from above and yanked open the cork top. However, the force of gravity just made the sparkly sweet liquid inside of it splash all around her face.

Then Bianca suddenly started glowing, as if... something was about to happen... yet nothing did. The glowing then completely stopped. Bianca then suddenly found herself hitting the hard surface of… water?

She crashed right through the surface of the cold water and plummeted a good number of feet downwards through the endless aquatic mass.

Underwater, all across her was an endless stretch of the desaturated blue color. When she looked up, she could see a faint pattern of white squares.

How could this be? The midnight blue void and the tiny, distant lights looked exactly the same as when she began falling. Bianca was caught-completely off guard, yet she swam swiftly to the surface of the hauntingly clear, thin liquid. Just how deep was this water?

Or did any boundaries even exist in this place? Was this the world of forever, a world of infinite?

Endless. Did it exist? How big is it? Does endless have an end, or is endless simply endless?

It it possible for a human being to imagine endless? Would they have to imagine endlessly?

"Bianca, this is no time to be thinking about deep philosophy." She said out loud to herself, partly just to make sure her vocal chords were still intact. Her voice came out very breathy.

(...And by the way, "deep" philosophy. Get it? Because the water is deep...? Haha... that was bad. Sorry.)

Bianca was suddenly feeling like Alice in Wonderland. She had loved the book when she was a child, and thought as hard as she could back to it. At one point, Alice had been floating in a pool of her own tears.

"These couldn't be my tears, right?" Bianca thought. "I don't think I've ever cried enough to create something this deep. Or maybe... did I shrink? Did the bottle really do this to me?"

As Bianca was in thought, something large and shadowy was swimming up towards her from the immense depths below...

"Well, I guess I do cry a lot. Maybe... this entire place has something to do with me. This water represents all the tears I've shed in my life... and maybe the land of sweets represented every sweet I've ever eaten? But I am still young and my life hadn't been that long. I shouldn't have cried this much already, or eaten that many sweets even in my entire life..." Bianca caught herself lost in thought again.

She was lucky to be able to swim, even though it did tire her out tremendously to be treading all alone in a deep pool. After a long bout of gasping and thinking, Bianca regained her voice and suddenly remembered... the girl she had been with earlier was missing!

"Um... Pepper?!" Bianca cried frantically. Oh, it would have been terrible if she drowned! And it would be all Bianca's fault for being so lost in thought like the clumsy girl she was. Ooh...

Bianca began to panic. "Help me… Pepper! Where are you! Where am I!?"

She grabbed on to her own arm and pinched herself as hard as she could.  
No use. This was still no dream.

Bianca took a deep breath of oxygen and courage, and dove under the water again, trying to pick out something, anything that could be an object—or a person.

That's when she saw it. The dark mass. It was enormous, appearing only to be able to come from a depth many times enourmous as its vast size.

It was more long than it was wide. It had a terrible face and Bianca screamed a great underwater yell as soon as she saw it.

She scurried on upwards, poked her head above the water, hyperventilated and swam away. She knew she couldn't leave Pepper behind, but maybe, just maybe she was in the direction she was heading.

The beast's head poked above the water, several meters behind Bianca. It's face was as wide as a wall and it had gleaming piercing yellow eyes. It had a serpent-like physique, which meant it probably had a long tongue that could lap Bianca up as if she were a pill... nooo! She summoned all her body strength and propelled herself far away through the water.

"Pepper!" Bianca was still screaming out. This was it. A life or death situation. And knowing herself, Bianca was going to die.

But she didn't give up.

She dared to sink her head down into the water and try to find her, or an exit... or even better, Pepper AND an exit!

Bianca began to clumsily kick downwards, when suddenly... she began to glow the same way as she did when she opened the strange bottle back when she was falling!

"Wha... what's happening to me?"

She instantly felt a pleasant chill crawl down her back, and something trying to emerge from her skin right below her backbones. The thin layers blossomed out and spread wider painlessly on her back, shining in smooth light as they unfolded. Strong, wide wings. In fact, if felt kind of good.

The mysterious new wings guided Bianca on their own, sending her shooting through the water with ease, away, downwards away from the dreadful face.

"Ah, it must have been the 'drink me' bottle that gave me these wings!" She thought, holding her breath.

Woosh! The large wings, proportioning her body like a butterfly's, had her soar through the water with such momentous force that she felt euphoria, feeling it in her body.

Once she was sure she escaped the colossal creature without being seen by it, Bianca finally spotted a vermillion dot a distance down below her.

"It's a giant habanero!" she thought, slowly running out of breath.

"No wait... it's Pepper!" Her mind yelped. The wings swam her to the deep, immersive depth in no time, until she could clearly make out that it was her body. When she finally got a look at her face, her eyes were closed and everything was still. Bianca froze in terror, feeling her breath slowly run out.

"Pepper? Please... be okay."

That was when a strange current grabbed a hold of Bianca, and dragged her and Pepper at high speed. Bianca's wings grew separated from her back, and were left behind in the deep pool.

"My wings!" Bianca shouted in her mind as the aquamarine thin plates were becoming smaller from her view.

Suddenly, the two were sprayed out of a mysterious square into the seat of a roller coaster cart!?

Bianca took in a deep breath, she could finally breathe again.

The sky above was orange, and the sun shone a majestic indigo. It didn't look like anything Bianca had seen before...

"Pepper!" Bianca exclaimed.

"Bianca!?" Pepper finally opened her eyes and grew shocked.

Pepper was alive! Bianca sighed in relief. Pepper seemed a little angry at Bianca though, for losing her...

But before either could say anymore, the roller coaster began to blast off, and soon enough, it flew right off the tracks, flying high into the sky.

Bianca only felt a bit tense, but next to her, Pepper was shrieking and screaming like a little kid who just found out ice cream no longer existed.

The roller-coaster flew through a city. The buildings were all tall, and in various shades of pastel. The water they were rising out of reflected the buildings extremely clear. Looking closer, one would notice that the reflections were the opposite color of the building.

Bianca felt her mind twist and turn at the surrealness.

The roller coaster slammed into an invisible platform with a hard and abrupt stop, and sent Bianca and Pepper soaring off the seat, until they fell into a mysterious ring that warped them inside a building, ultimately landing them right in the middle of… a game show set filled with people cheering?

There were four contestant seats, and the eccentric host stood right above the two disorientated fly-ins who were thoroughly puzzled about what was going on.

"Oh, great!" The person running the game show—a boy with wild green hair, wearing a yellow backwards cap, baggy pants, and a black shirt that said "YOLO" in gold comic sans, announced excitedly. He didn't even seem to register the fact Bianca and Pepper literally just went "thud" on the ground and probably were kinda... hurt.

"8/10 for that landing! We needed two more people to start the show! Now, let's get started with Prince Swagger's SWAG competition! Huh?"

Prince Swagger took a nice, observant look at Bianca.

"No! It can't be!" He yelled, shocked.

"She looks like my long-lost rival... the princess of etiquette!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole “swag/etiquette” thing was a rather poor attempt to “preserve” an inside joke from when this story was a Vocaloid fanfiction. Basically, Len (who was in Kuma’s role) was obsessed with the font known as Comic Sans, and Haku (who was in Bianca’s role) was obsessed with the font known as Segoe Script. They would constantly fight over which font is better. But I took the font theme out because I didn’t want this work to be overwhelmingly random like it once was, I guess.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story early on is an unfixable mess. But things start falling into place later, you'll see.

Bianca, who had been collapsed on the hard, glittery floor on the edge of the stage, flinched once again from how surreal this trip had been so far.

"No! I'm not a mage, or a princess of etiquette… I'm just a normal girl, and all I want to do is get home where things make sense, and it seems impossible..."

The green-haired boy backed away as Bianca began to break into an exasperated yell. Suddenly she was frustrated with being here, with all these ridiculous things happening to her again and again.

The boy spoke again.

"But... enter the game show anyway! My real name is Kuma, and I have just the thing!" The kid said in a (possibly fake) cheerful tone, after he had finished backing away.  
"The third place prize in this swag competition is… magical transportation to your home! No matter where it is, you'll be at your true home and in no time at all! Not that you'd-"

Bianca began to speak, cutting back Prince Swagger's words. (AKA Kuma)  
"I-I'm not entering your swag contest…" Bianca said weakly. Her voice was thickening from keeping back tears.

"Please… please understand that I need to get back home… will you please be kind enough to allow me? Does it seem… selfish…?

"...Not falling for it." The kid suddenly said with a cold smile.

"Wuh?" Bianca did something between a gasp, whimper, and a "why?"

"Princess Ettiquite. The Princess with the least amount of swag amongst them all!" Prince Swagger announced to Bianca's face.

"I mean, you have even LESS swag than the Princess of Meatloaf!"

And as the green prince said that, his entire audience ruptured into laughter.

"I… I'm not some d-dumb princess!" Bianca yelled.

This was one of few moments where Bianca would act aggressive. Her frustration and anxious feelings were peaking at this point.

The audience began to "ooh" with the tension of some starting drama.

"I know absolutely n-nothing about this, I know nothing about this strange world! I shouldn't be familiar to you at all!" Bianca was dazed.

"Whoa. What'cha talking 'bout? You're not even from this… world?" The young obnoxious prince cackled…

"I knew it! Princess Etiquette is inhuman! Come on, my joyous kingdom, let's all taunt her!"

"YOLO!" the peasants screamed. "It stands for You Only Lose Once!"

Bianca, who was under so much pressure that the ability to think straight had flown away from her, promptly took the first thing she could think of to throw at Prince Comic Sans, her stuffed kitten named Snowbell.

The audience broke into a wave of laughter again.

"She threw her stuffed toy!"

"Like that's gonna even do anything!"

Bianca didn't throw it particularly hard, so Kuma was able to catch it with ease as it practically sailed into his hands.

"Thanks for the worthless item!" He winked. "You can only have this back until you beat me in the contest."

Bianca felt appalled by Kuma's attitude. As if her treasured Snowbell was just a lowly piece of garbage…

A single tear began to slide down Bianca's cheek.

"Th-that's mine…" She choked out.

"She's crying now?" The audience mocked.

"Over a kitten plush…"

"Ha, what a pansy."

"That plush is v-very special to me.", Bianca choked, in a tone of voice filled with suppressed emotion. "It was given to me by someone very special to me who isn't around anymore…"

"Then why'd ya throw it?", a person from the audience yelled at Bianca.

Bianca hung her head in shame. She truly was… an idiot.

"Enough sappy drama already! We're a game show, not a soap opera!" Prince Swagger yelled.

"Now on with the SWAG!"

"Stelle and Anise are team number ONE! Crybaby girl and her little red-head friend are team numbah TWO!"

With that sudden announcement, a drumroll sounded, the stage fell dark, bright stage lights began to shine on Bianca, Pepper, and two random people in the back of the room…

At a closer look, the two random people happened to be… Star Messenger Stelle, and the other strange magic girl! Her name was Anise?

"First contest will be… a dance competition!"

"WHOOOOO!" The audience went wild with applause, and all the spoghtlights changed color and moved all across the game stage.

Bianca's heart was beating with pounding force.

She already proved herself an idiot, she had extreme stage fright, she knew she couldn't dance no matter what, and on top of that, she didn't know if she could ever make it back home!

She glanced at all the others.

Pepper had an aggressive look on her face and was tapping her foot. Almost as if she was upset with Bianca for being such an idiot.

And the fact that Bianca would completely and utterly fail at the swag contest would make her seem like the world's worst failure... which deep inside, she surely believed she was.

Stelle and the other girl were glaring at each other, you could practically see the lasers coming from their piercing eyes.

"What do you mean I have to work with YOU, Antagonistic Anise!?"

"I should be saying that to you… UN-Stellar... STELLE!"?

The electronic dance music blasted across the auditorium and vibrated the floors. The lights shone in crazy rainbow colors as Stelle and the other girl began to nail every move perfectly.

Pepper, in the corner, danced… reluctantly, yet stylishly. It practically screamed… "lone wolf bad girl". Like a boss…

"Oh my gosh…" Bianca's thoughts pounded as her teeth chattered. "What should I do?"

Pressure which would metaphorically weigh thousands of pounds dawned down on Bianca.

"You can still do it!" She attempted to tell herself with a fist. "All you have to do is manage to look cool… like Pepper!"

But alas… to put it simply, Bianca didn't exactly pull off the "cool" she was aiming for.  
She did things such as hopping around like a rabbit and rotating her arms. She didn't really know any dance moves, so she just improvised…

 

"Whoop, shoop!" She mumbled. "Heh..."

"Um... maybe I should try to remember the ballet lessons I did when I was 6 years old…" Bianca thought to herself.

This time, she tried standing on one leg while (barely) pulling the other one up to her head (more like her side).

"Gyaaah!" She tumbled to the cold, hard surface of the stage.

"That move is much easier to do in the water…"

She looked behind her and flinched.

Stelle and Anise were laughing at Bianca, glaring at each other again once they noticed the other laughing. Pepper was glaring even harder, which only made her dancing look… hotter.

Bianca could feel everything making her blush.

The locked box inside of her unlocked. Bianca was feeling pressured to do better. She twirled and did a cartwheel, the most complicated thing she was even capable of pulling off…

Pepper did two backflips in a row. Bianca began to watch in awe, turning even redder with some strange mix of emotions, mostly shame…

Stelle and Anise could LEVITATE. They flew around the stage, each trying to outperform each other. Stelle was twirling and flashing cute poses. Anise was twirling her broomstick and doing dynamic moves.

Bianca then tripped over a stair, went flying right into Pepper, and Anise's broomstick flew from her hands and under the two, lifting them up.

Bianca dangled on the edge, screaming and panicking at the sensation of gravity threatening her to fall.

Pepper pulled herself up, stood on top of the broomstick, and BREAKDANCED.

Then, she jumped down, and although she was 50 feet high, she landed right in between Stelle and Anise, and ended in a great pose.

Bianca tried to at least do something. After much straining, she flipped herself over and hung by her knees... and screamed some more.

Anise snapped her fingers and the broomstick disappeared, and Bianca fell…

…Right into Pepper’s arms.

…And then the floor under them gave away, and sent them both falling. It was only about a couple of yards.

Pepper tried to catch her breath, while Bianca was still whimpering like a sad puppy. 

Around them was pitch-black, and smelled of… pears. And a hint of nail polish. Not a usual musty smell, though perhaps mustiness smelled different depending on what world you were in?

When suddenly…

"I'm the grumpy old troll, who lives under the stage, hey!"

"Huh? Who-who's singing? Pepper?" Bianca asked, tensely.

"It's not me." Pepper answered.

"If ya wanna get back up, all you have to do is this, all you hafta do is thiiiiiis!", the voice continued. "Answer my question!" It snapped.

Bianca and Pepper froze.

The voice came back, saying "Now, one of y'all has to spell 'antidisestablishmentarianism' correctly, and I'll allow you to get back up on the stage."

 

Bianca's mind turned into a popsicle. "I… um…",

She tried to visualize the word in her head, but it became hard for her since it was so long and complicated.

"A…N-T…I…D…S… S-T…" She muttered.

"A-N-T-I-D-I-S-E-S-T-A-B-L-I-S-H-M-E-N-T-A-R-I-A-N-I-S-M.", Pepper said  
behind her, saying the letters in rapid-fire.

"Correct! You're a smart one!", the troll's voice said. "Good luck with that dumb best friend of yours."

The troll shone magical pink light on Bianca and Pepper and lifted them above the hole they created.

"She's NOT my best friend!" Pepper yelled into the hole.

Bianca's feelings fell. It was as if Pepper didn't want anything to do with Bianca.

"That stupid perfect know-it-all…" Bianca menaced in her head, trying to keep back tears. "Wait… but... that's like, a compliment… GAH."

On the other side of the stage, Prince Swagger had changed into an apron and a chef hat, and put dishes on the contestant's tables. A breeze effect billowed his apron as he flashed a mean-looking pose.

Bianca couldn't keep the words inside her. "That's swag? Heh." She startled as soon as she realized Kuma heard her.

"Like YOU know anything about swag." The green-haired boy responded.

"OKAY! The next competition is to cook food for the audience! With STYLE!"

Another wave of yells came from the audience.

"Every one of you will receive a recipe! All the ingredients are scattered around across the auditorium! It's up to you to find the ingredients in any of the rooms in this building, cook it right, add your own touch and make it taste like SWAG!"

"...Swag probably doesn't taste good anyway.", Bianca mumbled disdainfully.

Kuma raised his finger and 4 different recipe papers popped onto the desks.

Anise's dish was "Twinkle Pink Puff Pie".

Stelle's dish was "Spicy Hot Glitter Cupcakes".

Pepper had to cook "Fluffy Sparkle Crème Brulee".

And Bianca's dish was "Shiny Rainbow Creamy Flan".

"What the heck kind of foods are these?" Anise said in disgust.

"I don't know... maybe something that'd look good on yo face!", Stelle snapped at her.

"I think they'd look best down YOUR pants!" Anise yelled.

"But YOU'RE the only one here who actually wears pants!" Stelle remarked.

"GRRRRR!"

"Okay… it says it needs flour. But… flan doesn't use flour! I-I think..." Bianca thought.

"Maybe this is a trick… they're trying to trick me…" Eventually' she ignored this thought, and looked for flour.

 

Bianca found flour... but it was tucked in Anise's arm.

So Bianca, being herself, waddled up to the sinister magical girl, and sheepishly said...

"Um... excuse me..."

Anise gasped.

"How DARE you say such inappropriate and vulgar words to me!? Well... 'EXCUSE ME' to you, too!" Hmph!

Anise snobbishly flipped her hair and walked away.

Bianca still tried to negotiate.

"Um... Hey... d-do you think... we can share the flour? Because I need it too, and..."

"Share?" Anise grew an outraged expression again.

"SHARE!? You are the most VULGAR person I've ever met!"

Anise unleashed a sinister ink-colored beam to Bianca, giving the poor girl a huge static boom as she collapsed to the ground.

"Oh..." Bianca felt too weak to get up again.

Kuma shook his head.

"Don't you know that 'excuse me' and 'share' are two of the most vulgar words known to Antagonists?"

Meanwhile, Pepper was collecting eggs; one of the ingredients he needed for Fluffy Fluffy Sparkle Crème Brulee.

She was in the chicken room, warming the chickens with her HOTNESS, so that they'd lay eggs.

Stelle was singing to cinnamon plants in order for them to give her the spice she needed for Spicy Hot Glitter Cuppy-cakes.

Eventually, Bianca ran across a flour flounder in the kiddie-pool room.

"I am the flour flounder." It said in an echoing majestic voice, unfitting to its muffin-like appearance.

"I can magically make magic bags of flour magically appear magically." It said. "But only if you do the chicken dance."

Bianca sighed, and did what the flour flounder said. Flour flounder then summoned a bag of flour by singing some strange opera.

Bianca thanked the fish and felt relieved to have one ingredient.

"Next… cream..."

As soon as Bianca read the next ingredient, she was being lifted up and away by... hundereds of butterflies!? They lifted her up into dome-like ceiling covered in jewels.

The butterflies began to sing...

"We can give you buttercream,  
Provided you'd do anything  
And in this little song we sing,  
Do all we ask simultaneously."

Bianca kept her ears peeled, the butterflies were going to give her cream if she did what they said...

"In a loud voice, you will scream'  
"I am the banana queen!"

Bianca did what the butterflies told her.

"I AM THE BANANA QUEEEN!" She yelled loudly.

Suddenly the butterflies began to laugh and crack up so much, they fused together and became... a bottle of buttercream.

Bianca was suddenly standing right on the ground.

She stood there with a perplexed face.

"That was quite strange."

Well. Only one more ingredient.

"Caramel... Weird. Doesn't flan need eggs though?"

Bianca suddenly squinted saw something out of place on top of a tall, crystalline staircase. It was... a package of caramel!

She ran up there, when suddenly... three bunnies fell out of nowhere! A cream-colored one, a white one, and a brown one.

And then, (you guessed it.) They began to sing.

"We are the caramel bunnies  
I don't care if you don't think we're funny  
If you want that caramel in your tummy  
Then dance and be a honey-honey!"

The brown bunny flicked a button, and music started playing really loudly. All of a sudden, Bianca noticed she was tied to the wall.

The lights suddenly flicked off, and Bianca was hanging over a pit of flames. All while a the happy song was still playing...

"DANCE BIANCA, DANCE!"

Suddenly, the bunnies turned into a hollow-eyed puppets. SCARY puppets. Their eyes were sinisterly hollow and their mouths chattered as they opened and closed. Their voices had no emotion as they said in unison...

"DANCE, BIANCA. DAAAAANCE."

Evil laughter was the icing on the dark, tormenting cake...

Bianca was tensely wiggling around as the bunnies laughed evily and spun around her until the song was over.

To shorten this, the time had come to present the ingredients to Kuma. (Or as we will call him from now on.)

Laughs from the audience burst as Bianca scurried along the stage, gasping for breath.

She was in last place, taking about 20 minutes more than the others.

"But... I... a bunch of freaky things happened!" She said, put of breath, as an excuse.

"Yeah?" Kuma said, raising an eyebrow. "SO!? Pepper had to battle a chainsaw maniac using nothing but a toy wand, she climbed a model of Mount Foreverest, tightroped across the Foreverest Canyon while wearing a salmon suit, and then he had to tap dance to Elvis Presly songs while dressed as antidisestablishmentarianism."

"How do you dress as antidisestablishmentarianism anyway?" Bianca asked.

"It took tons of skill and swag..." Kuma said, with a face filled with manly tears. "Oh, by the way, all your little journeys were shown to the audience on on-stage TVs."

Bianca turned red from head to toe.

That would've mean the audience witnessed Bianca singing an embarrassing song as she looked for ingredients.

And also, when she wiped her nose on an expensive robe. And also when she burped a little bit. And when she tripped over her own feet and made a sound like a kitten.

And indeed, the audience was snickering.

Bianca hid her head in shame.

"So, now. ARE YOU GONNA COOK THIS FOOD, OR WHAT?" Kuma said, enthusiastically.


	6. Chapter 6

As Kuma announced the words and striked his striking pose, the stage suddenly transformed... Curtains fell across the back; elegantly cute, yellow lacy curtains with beige bows.

The hard smooth floor magically dissolved into a soft checker of black and white. A table popped up right in the center. Behind the tables, four ovens appeared, each a different pastel color.

Pop! Pop! Poof!

Aprons were magically appearing on all the contestants! They had puffy arm-sleeves and pastel-color trim. Each one sported a cute pattern.

"Poof!"

"Ah... ah!"

Bianca contentedly lifted her arms, rubbing the fine silk, examining the colorful and cute garment she was now wearing. With a big puffy ribbon hanging right down from the center of her neck, cute buttons trailing all down her torso to her legs, she felt most unlike she ever had. For once, Bianca felt... cute!

Bemused Bianca had to feel a small bit pleased in the outfit and by the atmostphere. They were... interesting. It was comfy, it made her feel like she was in a story. She resisted the bubbling urge to smile, twirl around, and flash a cute pose...

"I am the magical cooking idol of dreams! Bianca, meow!"

Yikes! It would've been scary if she did that!

She spun around slowly and demurely, fixing her views all on the atmosphere all around. Stelle was wearing a cute dress, so was Anise... even Pepper... wait a minute, it didn't suit Pepper at all!

"Pfft... Pwahaha!"

A sputtering giggle burst out of Bianca's mouth before she could even think.  
Pepper’s apron was a pale red, striped, and had ruffles on the edge. Several hearts were printed on it. Pepper scowled and shook her head at the amused Bianca.

Stelle's skirt resembled a big puffy cupcake, her outfit sporting sweet polka-dotted bows complimenting massive frilly collars.

Anise's outfit was gothic, cute yet intimidating. Sharp collars, dark ruffles, and angles aligned her striking gown.

"And all four of you will be putting all your passion into cooking these foods. Because these foods need passion. Your spirit will cause the food to heat up, and your heart will make them tasty."

Kuma gave a sweet little grin before he suddenly scowled and yelled again.

"So you better fill it with emotion!"

Four cards each fell on everyone's cooking table.

"Here are the instructions to do cooking."

"Huh?" Bianca looked at the card and felt confused. "These aren't traditional cooking procedures. Nothing on them says to heat, or mix..."

"Well, of course!" Kuma said. "This is a sheet of dance moves! If you flip to the back, you'll see the lyrics you'll have to sing."

"What?" Bianca flipped to the back of the sheet and saw that a song was written.

I'm the fluttery pink sparkle chef  
Who cooks foods that melt in your mouth with fuzzy love  
Twinkle, twinkle! Meow! Sweet as sugar

Bianca imagined Pepper singing the lyrics and doubled over laughing.

"Pepper... haha! Twinkle, twinkle meow, haha!"

"You won't be laughing for long..." Kuma smirked.

"So... h-how does this work?" Bianca bashfully walked up to Kuma and asked.

"You wear this special hat..." Kuma pulled out a hat that resembled the bottom of a tin dome. "You put the ingredients in the hat, wear it on your head, cover it, and then the ingredients will magically turn into the food if you dance and sing well enough!"

"Cool!" Bianca exclaimed without thinking.

"These dance steps look kind of ridiculous..." Bianca muttered to herself once she scanned the pictures and footsteps on the back of the card.

"Of course they're ridiculous." Kuma said. "Remember the dancing contest we had back there? And remember the dance YOU did? This is that exact dance you made up on the spot."

Bianca's mouth fell open.  
"I have to... do it again?"  
Bianca's face turned red and a wave of laugher rose up from the crowd.  
Embarrassed, Bianca did her dance in slow motion, flushing redder as the seconds ticked past.  
"I can't... I just can't do it. I feel the audience's stares... they burn. I feel like... a fool..."

Bianca suddenly heard sparkly music.  
"Now you have to sing." Kuma said.  
"I'm the fluttery pink sparkle chef..."  
Bianca had a nice voice, but she also had a tendency to get nervous. And when Bianca got nervous, the voice coming out of her sounded like a kitten's cry. That is, if the kitten was being impaled with poisonous spikes while being forced to eat brussles sprouts.  
Bianca soon noticed everyone around was covering their ears.  
"Ah..." Bianca felt like she was cracking and falling to the ground. Her throat promptly blocked her voice and she turned away to the wall again.  
"Let Pepper teach you how to sing." Said Kuma, pointing to her.  
Pepper cleared her throat, sighed, and opened her mouth, and then... a golden contralto voice overflowed out of it like thick, rich maple syrup!  
Bianca's mouth fell open until her jaw hit her chest.  
Nope, it wasn't even funny. It wasn't funny at all to hear Pepper singing this sparkly song! Instead, it was just flat-out impressive.

I'm the fluttery pink sparkle chef  
Who cooks foods that melt in your mouth with fuzzy love  
Twinkle, twinkle! Meow! Sweet as sugar

Pepper rolled the 'r' on the last syllable in sugar, and once she stopped singing, everybody rose into tremendous applause. Even the ingredients in the bowl on his head began to clap!  
"Yum, Pepper’s food is gonna come out soooo good because of her good dancing and singing." Kuma swooned.  
"S-s-so..." Bianca racked her head. "I have to sound like Pepper then! If it'll do me good... then is worth a try."  
Bianca cleared her throat dramatically, took in three deep breaths, arched her whole body, and made her voice as big as it possibly could.  
"I AM THE FLUTTERY PINK SPARKLE CHEF."  
Bianca couldn't keep up the big voice for long and soon began hacking until she rolled on the ground. Everybody laughed.  
"A Pepper knockoff!" Kuma sputtered.  
Bianca sighed and buried her face in her mittens. She just wanted to be out of here.

Then it was the time the food would be ready.

"First and least, we present Bianca's... rubbish."  
The event had ended and everyone had finished cooking. The food was now to be judged.  
Bianca wanted to crawl into a ball like an armadillo and roll somewhere far, far away.  
Kuma cringed, and put his hand on the handle which held the tin dome, concealing the flan Bianca cooked...  
But it turns out, the flan cooking did not go that well. It wasn't flan. It was a little bit large for that. It was curled up, had a small face, and was covered in fur. The brown striped tail on its end wafted about ever so slightly. It was... a kitten?  
The tiny kitten, laying peacefully in the tray, had a cream-colored body and little brown paws. It was a baby, judging from its size.  
"Huh?" Bianca shook her head bewildered.  
The kitten stretched it's small pudgy body, playfully sat up, and looked at Bianca with its clear brown droopy eyes.  
"Meow..." it squeaked. It barely even had a developed voice yet.  
Bianca glanced back at the small creature, feeling her heart flutter from the kitten's fluffy cuteness.  
"It's... just a little kitten..." Bianca thought. "I thought it was going to be a huge mess! But... a kitten? How?"  
"Aww..." the audience was looking at the kitten too. The small cat began to lick its paws daintily, then started playing curiously with its long striped tail.  
Claps, cheers and "aww"s arose from the audience.  
"Aww, she cooked up such a cute kitten, can you believe it?" One member squealed.  
"How though...?" Bianca felt overwhelmed, though the audience was reacting to her positively, at least. "I guess... maybe I even did something better than flan?"  
A loud rumbling sound suddenly shook the air, and Bianca soon realized it was the kitten's stomach. Such a loud rumble from such a tiny stomach! Such a deep rumble that it quieted the audience and caused everyone to look around in cold suspense.  
The irrisistable scent of sweets lingered in the air, and the hungry kitten sniffed them up greedily. With sudden and surprising agility, it leaped from its tin platter to the tables, gulping down the delicacy on each platter in one massive slurp from its tiny tongue.  
"No! Wait!" Kuma yelled to the frisky feline as he sprang after it. "We can't judge the contest without tasting those! You can't eat them!"  
It was no use, and with each gulp, the kitten grew bigger, until it resembled a large cat, like a lion! A mane was even growing around it's neck... gold, like the color of flan.  
Soon, it was able to emit a huge roar. In a split second, it lugged it's huge body effortlessly and pounced into the audience.  
The audience, who was cooing seconds before, now flailed and screamed in horror.  
People turned into jelly as they scrambled out from their rows of seats, their body parts flimsily wiggling as fast as they could in an act of getting away.  
Bianca watched the scene in disbelieving horror. Just how? How did she happen to cook a monstrous cat when she was aiming on cooking a simple flan?  
Bianca knew right then she lost the contest. Now she could never couldn't make it back home.  
She made a fool of herself in front of a crowd.  
She put the whole crowd in danger! The lion...  
She'll probably be forever infamous.  
Bianca wanted to do something, but she was petrified... the lion could eat her as if SHE were a piece of flan! But she had to... Bianca was the one who created it. The least she could do was to stop it!  
"Even if I am going to risk myself..."  
Bianca's heartbeat rose to a crescendo.  
But as soon as Bianca decided she was going to have to do something, Stelle's sharp voice priced the air. She stood up gallantly and wore a serious expression on her face.  
"NO! I will not let this monster destroy the happiness of people!"  
Stelle swiftly climbed onto her broom, soaring into the air above the audience. She approached the cat with dynamic force and the tip of her broom plunked the large feline right in its small sensitive nose.  
"...Whoopsy-daisy, hehehe!" Stelle dismissed her accident with a giggle.  
The cat flinched as it got hit, then roared until its face was red. It certainly was not amused. It's cries were painful to everybody listening. The cat's whole body became redder, and redder. And redder and redder and redder. Until it was so red, that not even Pepper’s face could turn that red. And that was a pretty deep red, believe me.  
The cat's teeth grew. Huge, sharp, pearly swords of teeth. With another giant roar, wings grew on its back. It's eyes thinned out and became completely black. The fluff on its tail burst completely into flame.  
"Aaaaah!" Bianca was screaming, running frantically towards the exit.  
"Please..." She thought. "Stelle, please be able to take care of this... I'm so sorry! Stelle!"  
By now, the entire game show's audience had evacuated, including Bianca, Kuma, Anise and Pepper, who were all huddled in a spot out in the back.  
Stelle was now alone in the collapsing auditorium, with everything hot, red, and filled with fiery, disintegrating tension.  
Embers radiated from the monster's eyes, and globs of fire spewed from its huge, dark mouth. The beast had its spearlike onyx eyes piercing into Stelle. Puffs of smoke dispersed from its nostrils. It looked like it was going to charge straight at the small, pink-haired girl at any second.  
Stelle, however, was the magical girl of love and justice. She refused to back down!  
"LUMINATION, DEFENSE! Happy Shield!" she summoned all her spirit to yell.  
As she said those words, a transparent pink bubble surrounded her, just as the monster dashed full speed ahead. Its hard, brittle teeth hit Stelle's defense bubble with the loudest clank imaginable.  
"WRRAAAAH!" the monster shrieked in pain.  
It's white, white, sharp teeth began to crumble like candy after such an impact.  
Huge chunks fell to the ground.  
The monster breathe a huge glob of fire whichmelted the ceiling, and flew far, far away...  
...  
...  
"Bianca Luna. You're terrible, just terrible. You brought a monster in our world! Our world which was already in danger of losing peace, YOU MADE IT WORSE!"  
Stelle screamed to Bianca once she got up and found the rest of the people.  
"I..."  
Bianca promptly burst into tears. She couldn't talk, it was no use. She couldn't even apologize, no matter how much she wanted to. The sounds coming out of her sounded disgusting.  
Bianca turned her head around, put her shaking foot forward, and began to run away.  
Everyone only stared forward until the sobbing girl was out of sight, into the trees. She was gone. As if she had disappeared with the wind.  
"I mean, what did she PUT in that flan!?" Stelle groaned after a bit of silence.  
"Flower?" Anise said on the side. "I remembered that. The one spelled f-l-o-w-e-r by the way."  
"Flower? F-L-O-W-E-R!?" Stelle erupted.  
"I CAN'T BELIEVE HER, SHE CAN'T READ!? F-l-o-u-r and f-l-o-w-e-r. It's an obvious difference!"  
"Exactly..." Kuma agreed. "She can't even spell antidisestablishmentarianism. She should go back to kiddygarden."  
"She should know that the one what grows from the ground is flour. You know. The plant." Stelle spat. "The kind that's POWDERY and starchy is spelled f-l-o-w-e-r. The recipe had it spelled like "f-l-o-u-r-s", so therefore, she needed to put the PLANT in."  
"Maybe that isn't the case..." Pepper mentioned, more stoic than anyone else in the group. "I've heard before that in some of the other worlds out there, it's the opposite. The one that grows from the ground is spelled f-l-o-w-e-r. Maybe Bianca didn't know. She is from another world after all."  
"You know." Anise mentioned, crossing her arms. "Well, I'm telling this to you too late, but... Me? I'm happy Bianca cooked up that monster."  
She smiled a sinister smile to go with her darkly charismatic voice.  
"Yup, I'm a VILLAN, in case you hadn't noticed. My goal is to destroy all happiness all over the world, and this monster was just the thing I needed. Plus, villains like me shouldn't be hanging around good guys like you."  
Anise hopped on her black broom and raised herself into the air.  
"Toodles!" She said, her voice sickly sweet, echoing throughout the broad air above. Anise swiftly flew out of sight.  
"...Okay then." the remaining three said once the dark magical girl was out of their view.  
Stelle was still fuming, her face was still frozen to that of a fed-up one.  
"I am NEVER going to forgive that Bianca. She can be Anise's apprentice for all I care. And this all started because of..." Stelle instantly froze.  
"Wait... wasn't... I the one who... gave her access into this... world?" Stelle shivered.  
"Nice going." said Kuma, with a bad poker face. "By the way... Pepper? Aren't you gonna say anything? Aren't you going to say bad things about Bianca too? Pepper...? Hello?"

"A stupid mistake… that's who I am. And all I'll ever be…"  
Bianca ran far, far away from everything, until she was nowhere, with nothing.  
She had sprinted, and was still sprinting for quite a long time. She must've been operating on the extra adrenaline caused from all those feelings.  
"I don't deserve to wear this pretty dress." Bianca muttered through tears, stopping suddenly to tear off the easily-torn silk and throw it to the ground. She was relieved to look down to see her normal clothes on her again, her familiar ice blue hoodie and jeans. Even though her comfort stuffed kitten was now lost, the sight of Bianca's normal outfit gave her a wistful brush of being home.  
Home... where Bianca lived a normal peaceful life without being thrown into these odd, stressful situations. Even though home had been lonely, it was nothing like this. What is this place, Bianca thought. Why did nobody here seem to like her?  
Her eyes were watering over the loss of her kitten plush. It been her everything. It was her treasure.  
It was her grandmother's final gift to her before she passed away.  
The last words she said to Bianca had been about the kitten itself.  
"As long as you love and treasure Snowbell, you'll never be apart from me." She told, as she tied a ribbon around the neck of the plush. "Magic will be with you, making sure you're always smiling. If you believe in her, Snowbell might just help your dreams come true. And I should know, she used to be mine.."  
"Magic will be with you..."  
Bianca had believed in everything her grandmother said about magic, because she was the most magical person Bianca ever knew. Her words were healing and uplifting, yet always shrouded in mystery. Bianca knew that the kitten plush she gave her must have been filled with her magic. Snowbell had helped her through so many rough times, just by being there.  
She not only gifted Bianca with Snowbell; she gifted her with her magical soul.  
Now that Snowbell was gone, Bianca couldn't fight the negative thoughts. They filled her mind until she drowned in them. All the things Bianca hated about herself, all the doubts she had about her life...  
"In the stories I've read where girls go to strange lands... I'm nothing like those heroines.  
They're strong, smart, capable... and people look up to them for who they are.  
They overcome things in a beautiful way, never giving up or losing hope... always finding a way.  
Me, I'm none of these things. I don't have what it takes to ever make it back home.  
I don't have what it takes to be the heroine.  
I fail at everything I try; getting good grades, making friends...  
I'm hopelessly weak, nothing but a cowardly crybaby.  
And now I've created a monster and put this world in danger... it all happened just because of me! Because I'm so clumsy and useless!"  
Bianca threw herself into a secluded spot under a tree. All the bottled-up emotions promptly burst out of her as if she were a thrown water balloon, sending her sobbing into her sleeves.  
Her sobs were wretched with loneliness and panic, unlike the quiet tears she would shed any other time she cried. This was the kind of painful crying where her entire body shook and the noises she made were uncontrollable and erratic. The kind that never felt good to let out. The kind that felt like it was never going to stop. Eventually, Bianca's sleeves were soaked with tears and she still didn't feel any better at all.  
Bianca couldn't remember the last time she cried like this.  
The only reason she stopped a for a while was because she was exhausted. She forced her body to stop shaking and hiccupping and tried to catch her breath. Her breaths were shaky, yet they helped her maintain her composure. She felt heavy and numb.  
Bianca physically felt as if she had ran an entire marathon. She was certain her face and eyes were probably puffy and beet-red. So she just looked straight ahead, keeping back any more tears, hoping the clean air would return her face to normal.  
As she stared into the space, she examined the strange land all around her. It certainly looked like the middle of nowhere.  
The entire place was just an eerily white background. It had a texture, though it was faint. Was it a bumpy or paper texture, Bianca wondered.  
It was almost as if it was… a huge blank canvas. In the background, faintly, were buildings. Two-dimensional-looking buildings made out of colorful, simple shapes. Like paper cut-outs. Peach-colored squares, magenta parallelograms, pear-green circles. The tree Bianca sat under was colorful too, with a textured brown trunk and leaves of all different kinds of shapes and shades. Triangular, curcular... The light shining through all the different patches of leaves made the ground below her sparkle.  
It almost looked like an illustration from a picture book, like the ones her grandmother would illustrate. It brought over an easy feeling that dwelled in her slowly like a subtle breeze.  
"I ended up somewhere very different, didn't I?", she thought, finally shifting her mind off things. She took into the view, and the tranquility managed to calm her down a bit.  
"Yet this is quite the sight… I've always wanted to visit a world inside my dreams. I guess this is pretty close to it."  
Bianca's tenseness began to fade away in small bits when she realized she was talking to her her grandmother. She still felt her presence, even though she was long gone. It must've been magic. It certainly had to be magic.  
"I'm on an adventure, even though it's a very stressful, sudden one and I have no idea what's going on..." Bianca giggled. All the stuff that happened so far was terrible, but she was laughing at it now?

Suddenly, a drop of some sort plopped right besides Bianca. It seemed too thick to be a raindrop…  
"Ack! Bird poop?" Bianca cringed and flinched away. She saw that the plop was a bright blue, but that still didn't mean anything! This land was so crazy that the bird's poop here probably was technicolor!  
Bianca looked from above, and saw that the tall, symmetrical tree she was sitting under was growing many colorful bulbs. Ah, so the drop must've came from there...  
Inspecting the drop closer, Bianca saw that the drop of strange juice looked like watercolor paint.  
She stood up, eye-level to one of the branches. From this close, she could see them… sparkling. Her eyes began sparkling too. The colors were plentiful, from the classic reds and blues, to rare shades of mauves and teals and platinums that Bianca had rarely seen in her life.  
She curiously picked up an indigo bulb, her favorite color, and squeezed it softly. A feathery tip, almost like a paintbrush segment popped out. It was nothing like she ever seen. But it was great, interesting... wonderful. It made the small child deep inside her immensely happy.

"This is… almost like paiting tools… hm?  
The ground under Bianca was white and textureless. She took several of the strange bulbs and started to draw with them on the ground, the ground acting as if it were paper.  
Bianca enjoyed painting, although she wasn't exactly the greatest artist, it pulled her thoughts in and calmed her down. In fact, she couldn't remember a time where drawing a picture didn't soothe her. Sometimes it locked her in such a deep trance, the real world faded out of sight. Her world became the picture, just her mind and the picture...  
Soon enough, after a lot of soft dabs and flowery strokes, it became a cartoony picture of a sad girl with droopy round eyes, reflecting Bianca's feelings at the moment.  
"So sad…" she thought. Bianca began to draw flowers and star-shapes around the girl she painted, as if to try to cheer up her own drawing—as if that drawing was… her.  
"Wow..." Came a sudden voice from behind Bianca that somewhat startled her. It was a high-pitched voice sounding like it belonged to a younger girl.  
"That's so pretty." She said. "I wish I could paint like you."  
Bianca froze for a while, not knowing how to respond to the stranger.  
"Wh-why would you want to paint like me?" She said on instinct. "I suck at it!"  
"No you don't." The soft voice said, coming from behind her.  
Bianca looked up, and she was now face-to-face with this girl. She had a round, childish face of tan, flowing red hair, and a white bow in her hair. Bianca flinched, although not giving much wonder to how the girl shifted positions so quick.  
The strange, nice girl took a bulb-brush, ducked down, and drew a smile over the drawing's small frown. The gesture was so small yet kind, it had Bianca smiling too. Although just a little bit, it healed her heart.

 

"Thank you…" She softly said.  
The girl then decided to stick around, acting just a bit overly-friendly.  
"I'm Ruby." She said with a welcoming smile. She had a soft, soothing voice, like a bell. "What's your name?"  
"I-I'm Bianca. Bianca Luna." She shyly introduced herself.

Ruby began to eye Bianca's drawing.  
"I see you also drew a cat and a cake there.", she said. "Hm? Have you ever realized that in Spanish, "gato" is cat, and in French, "gateau" is cake? They're pronounced alike."  
"Wow!", Bianca responded, "I never noticed that before…"  
The girls spent a few more minutes drawing doodles on the ground until Bianca felt happy, and all other throughts were pushed back behind her smile.  
Eventually the topic of Bianca's neighborhood came up.  
"They look like the bunch of cats in my neighborhood who cheered me up…" Sne said, eying at a doodle Ruby did of a bunch of smiling cats.  
"One really liked flowers." Bianca said endearingly. "It would bring flowers to me in its mouth…"  
"Oh, really? But what happened to them?" Ruby sadly asked.  
"Hm?" Bianca responded.  
"Well… you're using past-tenses. So…" Ruby continued, her voice fading.

"Oh, right... I… ended up forgetting all about it." Bianca said softly.

Her guilt quickly returned too. What wound Ruby think of her, to find out her entire story, starting out from how she was an alien to this world?

"I'm... um... k-kind of stranded." Bianca started saying. She pleadingly did not want Ruby to find out she was from a different world. What if she would start treating Bianca just like everyone else?  
Ruby suddenly gasped in an animated way, startling Bianca out of her senses.  
"I knew it! I knew there was something weird with you!" she said loudly.  
Bianca's worn-out heart gave a massive pound. No! She couldn't! She couldn't lose her new friend already! She shook her head wildly, ready to curl up and bury her face in her arms...  
"…Your arms bend weirdly.", Ruby then said. "That's what's weird with you."  
Her arms? Just Bianca's arms? She felt relieved. And deceived. And just a tiny touch amused. So she wasn't going to lose her friend after all?  
Ruby flexed her arm. It didn't bend at the joint. Instead, it bended loosely in a round shape like a noodle.  
"See, my arms? The bend in a circle. Your arms, they like... snap in half."  
Bianca bended her arm. Of course, it blended at the elbow.  
"You mean… no one here has elbows?" She said curiously.  
"Elbows?" Ruby asked innocently, with a shivering voice. "They sound scary! A-are they… bad?"  
"No… it's just a joint. That's where… two bones attach." Bianca explained.  
The taller girl reached out to examine Ruby's arm. It appeared to be… boneless. It felt closer to cartilage than bone.  
She giggled as she blended Ruby's arm. Ruby dropped to the ground and did a wave move with her bendy body.  
"I call this one the Pulsating Cat!" she said. "I made it during second grade breakdancing class!"  
Bianca clapped.  
"Well, speaking of little animals..." Ruby said, once the mood died down. "Well, I have a problem too... you see… I see the ghost of my old bunny rabbit wandering around here at times. But… seconds after I see her, she always fades or runs away... Shadow. She loved me so much... but one day, she got too old..."  
Ruby suddenly grew sad. Sadder than Bianca had ever seen her (within the hour she had known her.)  
Bianca sympathized. To comfort Ruby, she reached out her arm and patted her back.  
"Don't worry... Shadow loves you. She's still happy because she gets to see you..."  
One thing about Bianca was she believed happiness was always possible. She believed everything could become happy, and that happiness was everything. She was the type to re-write a sad book with the happiest ending possible. She was the kind of person who wanted to take sad paintings and make another version where things were happier.  
Before she realized it was impossible, her dream used to be to make the entire world a happy place.  
And Ruby just reminded her of this.  
This was how the true Bianca thought.  
And maybe, maybe it wasn't impossible at all.  
And if Bianca wanted this place to really be the world of her dreams, she had to create it... She had to create the happy ending!  
"And... I'll make sure I help! I promise, one day we'll find a way to see your bunny again." Bianca said, without much thought. She smiled widely, because she really did believe it.  
Yes, she thought.  
I'll re-write my story; this story, with a happy ending.  
And maybe then, I'll be a heroine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this isn't quite the part where it starts getting good yet. But the plot did thicken.  
> Yup, Kuma is pretty mean. Poor Bianca. Things really aren't going well for her. I guess this story is supposed to feel like a bad nightmare at first. Feeling like a failure is the worst.  
> Pepper got mad at Bianca for leaving her behind, which is why she's acting like this...  
> Bianca is a lot like me honestly, and eventually she will overcome her obstacles and fulfill her dreams. This is why this story is so personal to me honestly. It represents a hard time in my life, and the courage to overcome it.  
> So, trivia time! In the "original" version of Whimsica, which was a Vocaloid fanfiction, Haku was in the place of Bianca. So I made a pun where Haku felt like Chihiro from Spirited Away, even though she had the name of Haku, another character from Spirited Away.


	7. Chapter 7

"For now, Bianca, would you like to stay at my place? I live alone, so..." Ruby offered kindly.

"Can I really? Thank you so much, I will! I'm very sorry to be a burden..." Bianca said.

"You're not a burden..." Ruby patted her shoulders. "In fact, you're helping me feel better. I've always wanted to see Shadow again, but I'm too afraid she wants to run away from me. Why else would she fade away when I get to close to her?"

"Probably... since she's a ghost, she just doesn't want you to see her like this. She's just afraid of making you sad with the fact she had to become a ghost..." Bianca rubbed her arm and spoke, trying to explain the best she could.

"Thanks Bianca." Ruby said, curling up to Bianca. "Your explanations make a lot of sense."

Bianca slowly sighed and pat Ruby's head, taking in the ashen peace of the moment.

"To get through my house, we have to walk through town." Ruby said. "It might not be like anything you've seen before... but please remember, everything here is safe!"

The two were walking towards the colorful buildings Bianca saw in the distance. Flat pink clouds were drifting through the white skies above them, leading into the colorful buildings which looked they had been made of cut-out construction paper.

"Everyone here is easygoing and very friendly, especially to people who are tourists."  
Bianca imagined what Ruby was saying to be true. Ruby was a friendly person after all, and she was nice to Bianca upon first seeing her.

Soon enough, the two found themselves walking on a floating road-a trail of large pear-green squares.

"The square path leads to the town square, which is why it's made of squares." Ruby spoke like a tour guide. A girl Bianca assumed was quiet at first was more vocal than she imagined.

The two soon passed their first building, a blue striped house with two white windows, a carved-out door, and all kinds of multicolored floating shapes rising and floating out of the chimney.

"But the houses look so flat..." Bianca exclaimed.

"Everything here looks flat until you enter it." Ruby said.

The buildings became more abundant, and did come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, just like the people!

Some people's heads were square, but most were round. They all had dots for eyes, a geometric shape for a nose, and a colorful single shape for their body. There was a lateral triangle body, a rectangular body, and a roly-poly circular body. Bianca even spotted one person with a parallelogram body! The people's limbs were lines that hung straight when they walked and bended when they did a gesture. The people here seemed very, very fond of buttons; they were plastered all over their clothing.

Ruby looked rather normal, nothing like these colorful people made stylistically out of simple shapes. Bianca wondered why, but never found the courage to ask. She felt like she would be rude. After all, despite appearances, they were all people.

"Oh, Ruby!" a voice rang in from the distance. Bianca looked to the source of the voice and saw it was a boy with a light blue circle for a face, two green swirls for hair, an orange rectangle body, and dark blue bendy limbs. He carried a purple striped bag that swung around as he paced.

"Ruby, my favorite costumer!" he grinned, showing some square teeth. "Our stand imported a new item, triangular sweet potatoes! Would you like to try one for free?"

"Of course! That's great news too!" Ruby grinned.

Bianca stood shyly in the back. So, they knew each other?

"Oh, and this is my new friend, Bianca!" Ruby grinned.

"Oh... um..." Bianca put her arm to her shoulder and shifted away sheepishly.

"Hello Bianca. My name is Isogon." the boy was very nice. "Since you're Ruby's friend, would you like to try a triangular sweet potato too?"

"Really?" Bianca felt pleasantly surprised at the kind offer. "Sure..."

A rumbling noise suddenly bubbled up between the three. Bianca hid her face.

"Oh, that must be my stomach..." Bianca chuckled just a bit. "I haven't eaten a thing since I've gotten here."

"Oh, so you're a traveler?" Isogon asked.

"I... guess you could say that." Bianca answered, as the three walked back towards the town square's Fruit & Vegetable stand.

"Here you go, freshly steamed, plump and ripe." the friendly guy made of shapes tossed a steaming potato wrapped with a napkin into the hands of Bianca and Ruby. The potato had purple skin and yellow insides. She couldn't wait to indulge into its flavor.

Bianca blowed onto hers, and puffs of steam rose off of it slowly. Once it was cool enough, she bit into it. The taste tingled her senses! It was sweeter and nuttier than the sweet potatoes from back at home.

The feeling of warm scrumptious food in her mouth made Bianca feel full and comforted, warming her entire body from the inside.

"Is it good, Ruby?" Isogon asked.

"Mmmm! I'll buy five of them!" the pigtailed girl seemed more than approving of the new food item. "I was going to make a big meal tonight... and it's going to be even bigger now that Bianca is here!"

"What about Bianca? Are you enjoying it?" Isogon smiled.

"It's... delicious..." Bianca gushed, on the verge of being emotional. She was being treated with such kindness, and being able to eat such a comforting food made her feel more than grateful.

Bianca then glanced at the other foods on display. Polka-dot pumpkins that came in the colors of the rainbow? Colorful corn with each kernal a different pastel color?

Ruby lifted one of the pastel corns out of the bucket. And excitedly ran to Bianca with it.

"Bianca, this is sprinkle corn! The kernels of this corn are very sweet and crunchy, like candy. They would ideally be the topping on a cake or on ice cream!

Bianca felt her sweet tooth tingle.

"I'm getting these for the big dessert cake. It's to cheer you up." the girl smiled.

Bianca felt touched.

"Isogon!" an unfamiliar voice suddenly hit the three in the backs of their heads.  
Isogon turned to the source of the voice and saw the girl standing there. She had a yellow round face, a green triangle body, a semi-circle of pink for her long bangs, triangular pink pigtails jutting from her head, and bendy orange limbs.

"Oh, Scalene! Hi!" Isogon waved, as the girl rushed towards their group.

"So, Isogon is flirting with other girls?" Scelene crossed her noodly arms once she skidded to a stop on the colorful-tiled ground.

"No Scalene! You have it all wrong, these girls are only my friends! You know there's nobody who can replace you!"

"Oh, I was just teasing you a bit, you little vertex-brain." Scalene pounced on Isogon. "I bet the circumference of your face is 3.14, sweet as pi!"

"And... the mass of your shapes... is crushing against the perimeters of mine..." Isogon cried out in a suppressed voice.

"Oops, I'm so sorry, my precious Isogon..." Scalene stood up and helped smooth out Isogon's bended arm until it was all better.

"Thanks... my acute angel."

"My love for you is like a plane that extends into infinity, you know that, right?"

Bianca slowly backed away from Isogon and Scalene.

"This is what I call an... awkward intersection. But they don't exactly seem to be on the same line here." Bianca scratched her head.

Ruby was strangely giggling.

"I think that's cute..." she blushed and hid her face.

Bianca shook Ruby and worriedly told her to come back to her senses.

A strange chirp was in the air and Scalene looked down as if she recognized the sound. She pulled away from Isogon and looked down to her right. Bianca followed Scalene's eyes and saw one of the strangest creatures she'd ever seen...

It was a foot tall and looked like an owl... sort of. It's face looked exactly like "(0,0)", the origin point on a graph. The zeroes on its face were wide, empty eyes, and the comma was its small beak.

Its round body was outlined by two more parentheses. On the inside of is belly, was a fraction multiplication problem; 3/4・5/6. The creature's left arm was an "x=", and the right arm was an exponential "-1".

Most notably, was its long colorful tail, shaped like a fan and with both pink stripes and blue polka dots on it, creating a wild pattern.

"What... is that little creature!?" Bianca jolted back as it got closer. At first it looked like a nightmare straight out of her algebra book, but looking at it closer, she realized it was actually a little bit cute... despite being made out of equations and text symbols. It's eyes were wide like saucers and they looked at Bianca curiously.

"This is Nono, my fractail!" Scalene introduced, bending down to rub the creature's head.

"A... fractail?"

"Mm-hm! Wild fractails live in fractal trees, and that's how they got their name. Not to mention, they have fractions in their bellies. Every single fractail has its own unique tail. When they become older, they grow wings! Nono is still a little baby."

Scalene gestured as if she were rather fond of Nono.

After a while, Nono latched onto Bianca's leg, rubbing her face on her pant leg the way a kitten would.

"Aw, I think Nono likes you!" Scalene squealed.

Bianca's face turned pink as she bent down to pet Nono, who started purring like an owl. Ruby joined in the petting party, and soon enough, so did Scalene.  
Isogon sighed.

"It must be great to be a pet. They get all the girls." he whispered.

"Excuse me?" Scalene stood up. "I heard you, greedy."

"No wait..." Isogon backed away. "I'm not greedy, I was just making a witty timing joke! I realize now that it wasn't funny!"

"Oh, come on and let me hug you!" Scalene rushed after Isogon, who was running away.

Ruby giggled and sighed giddily watching them together. Bianca pulled at Ruby's cheeks.

"Ruby, snap out of it..." Bianca muttered.

Nono finally jumped up to Ruby and pecked the back of her head.

"Huh? What?" Ruby snapped out of her daze.

They bought what they had needed and carried the food in a purple-striped shopping bag.

"Thanks, come again!" Isogon waved goodbye.

Soon, the two started to approach downtown, where a lot of power lines hung and some fractails rested on the lines which framed the sky. A light rain started falling. When falling from the sky, the blue raindrops resembled buttons until they hit the ground and became flat puzzle pieces. When the puzzle pieces fused together, what they became was a puddle on the ground.

Tall sleek buildings lined the skyline. The two girls were the types who rather enjoyed the rain, so it didn't matter that they had no umbrella or that they were trapped in the downpour.

"This reminds me of a musical." Ruby told Bianca.

Bianca nodded. The city rain did give off a lively, theatrical vibe.

"It's because..." Ruby began to shy away surprisingly. "I wanted to be an actress." She said softly.

Bianca paused for a second and let the words sink in.

"Ruby, you can become an actress." She told her reassuringly.

Ruby shook her head, causing the raindrops that rested on her hair to fly amok.

"No, it's nothing but a distant dream. I once worked hard at it, but... I got nowhere close to where I wanted to be. I even... I even went to Jollywood to audition. It's very far away from here, and took a while to get to. Anyway, when I auditioned, I made a huge mistake... and they rejected me. Shortly after that, my rabbit Shadow passed away... she was the one who gave me motivation. After that, all the ambition I had faded away."

Bianca put her hand to her face, feeling Ruby's pain. This is something she had never known about her.

"Ruby..." Bianca said softly. "I'm sorry that had to happen. But I still believe you are going to accomplish your dream."

"You... do?" Ruby asked Bianca.

Bianca nodded and put her arm around the smaller girl's shoulder.

"Dreams never die. And I know Shadow is cheering you on."

The two began to walk somberly until Ruby lifted her head up and smiled through the raindrops.

"Bianca, thanks." she said. "I'm going to start my dream again." she said.

The two reached the end of the raincloud, and the land around them was covered in puzzle-piece puddles. They were now in the suburbs, almost to where Ruby lived.

"I live kind of along the outskirts of the suburbs right here. Just a little bit more." she told Bianca.

A lot of people walking there pets strolled along here. They walked their square dogs and spherical, rolling cats. A small kid was riding in a sleigh being pulled by little pom-pom shaped bunnies. A little girl was even walking her pink, scaly elephant which was covered in flowers!

"We're really fond of pets here, as you can see." Ruby said.

"Ruby, I..." Bianca was feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Hm? What is it Bianca?" Ruby looked in curiosity.

"Um..." Bianca looked away. "I just... kind of need to use the bathroom."

"Well, um... the buildings here have bathrooms." Ruby answered.

The two entered a random pet shop down the road and Bianca instantly rushed towards the bathroom.

The bathroom was covered in blue-toned paintings that looked somber and subdued. The walls quite literally were covered in mopes.

"This is an odd-looking bathroom." Bianca frowned as she entered a stall. "Why does it look so sad?"

After coming out of the stall, Bianca made sure to wash her hands thoroughly. (Hey kids, let's practice good hygiene so we can be totally cool like Bianca! Remember to always wash your hands after using the bathroom!)

As Bianca was washing at the sink, she pressed the square dispenser on the wall for soap bubbles. The transparent bubbles made by the soap were square and bright blue! Square blue bubbles! And they smelled like a tropical paradise!

Bianca, very fascinated by this, tried seeing if the other dispenser on the other sude of the bathroom would give her something different. The dispenser was orange and triangular. As well, it gave her soap that created triangular, orange bubbles.

Bianca then curiously wondered what kind of color and shape she would get if she mixed both soaps together and scrubbed her hands...

She eagerly gave it a try.

Both of the soaps in Bianca's palms, rubbing her hands together caused her hands to sparkle. Soon it wasn't only Bianca's hands that were sparkling; the shining light spread throughut her entire body.

"Wait, wha-?" Bianca grew anxious all of a sudden.

Soon Bianca felt herself beginning to fade away...

She felt a twinge of blue coolness chilling her face. Bianca quickly regained consciousness, finding herself lying in the midst of a wintery field.

When she opened her eyes against the chills, she saw that everything around her was indeed a minty shade of blue. The land was delicately fashioned out of lights and darks; many varying shades of the same azure. The setting was made out of painterly strokes, as gentle as soft ice.

The blue playground between the frame of trees in the distance appeared to be abandoned. In the field Bianca sat, it was all as still and somber as a painting.  
Maybe it was a painting?

"It looks familiar..." Bianca thought, her thoughts melting away into the somber blue she was immersed within. "It looks sad. It feels very sad here."

Her emotions bubbling up again within her, Bianca fought sad tears that threatened to crawl to her eyelids. She curled up into a vulnerable position.

A chilly wind blew.

A few seconds later, the quiet wind was accompanied by light rustling of long grass. Bianca anxiously watched the moving clump of grass as it rattled around. Pop! Out came a small blue porcupine, crawling on its little paws. The porcupine squeaked in distress, seeming to be as distraught as the sad background it dwelled in.

"Little porcupine, what's wrong?" Bianca said so it, almost in tears. She did realize she was talking to a porcupine, yet this was the same world where even shapes could talk.

"Boo-hoo." the porcupine sniffled. "I'm sad because I'm all alone."

The porcupine approached Bianca with a slump to its movements.

"Nobody wanted to play with me because my back is covered in spikes," the little porcupine cried. "They all moved far away to a different painting. I'm all alone."

The chilly wind blew again and sad Bianca had the urge to hug the little porcupine. She patted it's back and...

"...Ouch."

A quill protruding from the animal's back prickled Bianca's palm. She yanked her hand off and rubbed it on her pants.

The porcupine looked up at Bianca's pained expression, sighed and turned around. He looked so hopeless that he ended up hurting Bianca.

But Bianca refused to leave the porcupine alone. She remembered how wonderful it felt when Ruby did a kind gesture and cheered Bianca up.

It would be a great thing if she were now able to do the same thing for somebody else.  
"I'm not scared of you." Bianca sweetly said to the little porcupine. "I can play with you." she said.

The little rodent-like animal's eyes lit up.

"Really?" it squeaked.

"Yeah..." Bianca nodded shyly.

Bianca followed the little porcupine up onto the tall hill. The porcupine had said his name was Thistle and he liked bouncing around like a jellybean.

"Let's roll down the hill together, come on!" Thistle whistled, his mood spiked up. (no pun intended.)

The hill was pretty steep-perfect for rolling down if Bianca were to lay on her side. Right at the bottom of the steep hill was a field of the sweet sprinkle corn, all growing in husks from plants with star-shaped leaves.

"Let's go! Whee!" an eager voice besides Bianca shouted.

Without hesitation, Thistle tumbled down the hill and sped right to the sprinkle corn plants as if he were a bowling ball and the corn were pins.

"Hey, wait!" Bianca shouted, pushing herself down the hill.

"Wobobobo..." the force of gravity pulled down on her, and soon Bianca couldn't stop rolling around and around...

Crash! She landed right amongst the sprinkle corn fields! The sweet scent from the plants filled the air, and next to her, she saw Thistle with many colorful bits stuck to his prickly back. The kernels of the sprinkle corn were caking Thistle! Bianca was still dizzy, but the ride sure was thrilling. She started to laugh.

"You really look like a cupcake right now, Thistle." Bianca said to the blue porcupine.  
"Hey, I'm not a cute little cupcake!" Thistle pouted, though he soon began to laugh as well. "Cupcakes are yummy though, right?"

Bianca began to pull little pieces of the colorful sprinkle corn off the porcupine's back and slipped them in her mouth. They were crunchy and the organic fruity flavor tingled Bianca's tastebuds. Each color had a different flavor too!

"Let's have a picnic right here." Bianca said. "We'll eat the sprinkle corn straight off the cob."

Bianca and Thistle chowed down on the delicious corn. The distinct flavor of each and every different kernel blended together smoothly in perfect harmony, becoming a medley of flavor. Bianca became quite surprised that the little porcupine seemed to be eating more than she did!

After eating, they both sprawled out on a grassy flowery patch, and Bianca suddenly remembered there was a place she was supposed to be. Ruby was waiting for her to get out of the bathroom! If she went in there to check, Bianca probably would be nowhere to be seen. What if Ruby was searching all around for Bianca right now?

"Oh, I'm so sorry Thistle..." Bianca sat up and poked the porcupine's soft belly.  
Thistle energetically leaped up and eyed Bianca.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave now. I can't play with you forever. But I had fun."  
Thistle looked a little sad for a split second, but then a big smile grew on his face.  
"Thanks for playing with me, Bianca." he said. "It made me so happy!"

Thistle bounced up high, and suddenly the land around transformed before Bianca's eyes... the grass' icy blue melted and became a lush green, the wood on the trees became brown, and the sky became an even more vivid shade of blue. Color was everywhere again.

"I had so much fun playing with Bianca. Now I won't be sad anymore." Thistle said, his big blue eyes glowing.

Bianca smiled as well, and gave the porcupine one last hug. His quills were spiky, but this time Bianca didn't flinch.

"Bye-bye!" they said to each other.

"I'll visit you sometime." Bianca said as she walked into the distance... but then...

"But I... don't even know how to get out of here in the first place!" Bianca suddenly exclaimed.

Suddenly, in the midst of the quaint field, some sort of rip through time and space thing appeared right in front of Bianca. She pounced back five feet at the sight of it.  
It was a dark purple void filled with strange symbols and blotches of bright light. The psychedelic hole was suspended in mid-air.

Bianca started intently at it, and slowly stuck the very tip of her finger in... Suddenly, her whole body spontaneously whooshed into the hole as if it were a celestial space vacuum!

She tumbled out right onto a chunky little asteroid floating in the midst of space! There was a small little lake on this asteroid, a tree abloom with bright flowers, and a little crater. Bianca was standing right on top of a little hill. The asteroid was blue.

Everything in this space was blue.

Bianca suddenly heard a noise, a low rumbling sound. It was as if the asteroid was breathing.

"Huh?" she exclaimed.

The asteroid sighed again. It was just like a heaving kind of sigh that an unhappy person would make.

A few seconds later, Bianca realized the asteroid really WAS sighing.

"Um... what's wrong Mister Asteroid?" Bianca asked out loud in a sheepish voice.

"I'm all alone in spaaace."

The asteroid spoke then in the exact voice you would imagine a celestial body to have. A wide, mysterious voice. Not as wide or mysterious as the voice a planet or moon would possess. Just the averagely wide and mysterious voice of an asteroid.

"Oh no!" Bianca said.

"You don't know how it feeeels to be but a boring old rock, floating ever-so-eternally in boring old spaaaace with nothing fun to doooo or nobody to talk tooooo..." the asteroid's voice shook all through Bianca.

Once the rumbling stopped, Bianca spoke to the asteroid with her tiny voice in comparison.

"I'm so sorry you're lonely, asteroid. But how can I make you feel better?" Bianca asked.

"Um... hm..." The huge, breathing space rock paused to think. Bianca could practically feel the sudden happiness bubbling up within it.

"Give me a back rub!" It exclaimed.

"A back rub?" Bianca asked, "But do you even have a back?"

"Yes, I do. And you're quite near it. Just walk a little bit towards the north."

Bianca followed the asteroid's orders and walked... north.

"No, no, that's west!"

Bianca changed her direction.

"No, that's south! Turn around 180 degrees..."

Buanca did as the asteroid said and began walking in the opposite direction.

"Yes, you've got it! Now keep going... keep going... wait, no! You're going to far! That's my BUTT, not my back!"

"Eeek!" Bianca yelled. She was wondering why there were two hills right next to each other there.

"You're at the perfect location!" the asteroid said, once Bianca was directly on his back. "Now... start stamping your feet... just move a lot, basically."

"Huh? I thought you wanted a back rub, not a massage?" Bianca sheepishly said.

"Oh... it's the same thing." The asteroid said. "Now start moving!"

Bianca sighed and did what she was told. The asteroid was pretty demanding. Even though you wouldn't expect for something floating in space all alone for who-knows-how-long to have any social skills anyway.

Bianca stamped her feet and then blended down and started doing the noodle. Then she beat her fists into the ground like a child having a temper-tantrum.

"No, you're doing it to lightly! You have to REAAALLY press down on me!"

Bianca panted lightly and then she had an idea... she could do the ridiculous dance she made up during the swag competition! Maybe that could be enough for a decent massage!

So Bianca rotated her arms and hopped around, and began shaking her hips.  
"Pfft... Haha! Hahaha! What kind of movement is that!?"

The asteroid was laughing! The entire rock was trembling and Bianca could feel the happiness spreading to her. It was contagious!

"Um... it's called... dancing. I think." Bianca said.

"Dancing?" the huge rock sounded out the word. "That's the first time I've heard of that!"

Bianca grew stunned.

"By the way, what's your name?" the asteroid asked.

"Um... Bianca." Bianca answered.

"Hey, I'm Marble!" the asteroid said. "Bianca, I want to dance too!"

Marble was... finally starting to become happy! He began doing spins and moving side-to-side.

"Is that how you dance?" he asked Bianca.

"Yes! But... wait, what if I fall off of you?" Bianca shouted.

"My gravity will keep you on!" Marble said. Bianca felt stupid and her face turned pink.  
Bianca kept on doing her dumb little dance, and as Marble tumbled happily through space, he passed by a disco music rock! Psychedelic lights flew and shone everywhere as happy dance music blared!

"Wow! I don't think I've ever had such... fun!" Marble said once they danced for a few lively minutes.

Bianca kept dancing on the asteroid and bit-by-bit, color began to pour into the empty blue space.

Comets of all different colors flew past in graceful formation. The stars all around popped out of the sky and starred singing to the music.

"Oh Bianca, thank you!" Marble said. "You taught me the miracle of dancing! I've never felt so... alive!"

"You're welcome." Bianca said.

"Now, shall I take you back to your home planet?"

Bianca looked in the distance, and then saw a beautiful sight that filled her eyes with comfort and joy.

A blue and green planet filled with life... right there in the distance. Somewhere on that big earth was Bianca's home.

But then... Bianca's pupils shrank.

Was Bianca really ready to leave all her friends from the new land? Without even saying goodbye? Ruby and everyone else... plus Snowbell was still missing!

Her friends...

Bianca's eyes watered as she sank down into the rocky surface of the asteroid. The thoughts were too heavy. And so was Earth's gravity. Bianca soon felt herself being pulled away.

"Goodbye Bianca!" Marble said to her as she was being pulled off his surface. "I'm afraid this is goodbye, for this planet's gravity is stronger than mine. It's pulling you in, away from me..."

"Aaah! Goodbye Marble!" Bianca waved as she slowly began to be sucked into Earth's gravity, her tears being pulled from her eyelids, illuminated in the star's light like colorful crystals.

Bianca sped through time and space, almost as if a portal had opened up between space and Earth. As she sped towards the land of Earth, she had closed her eyes and had fallen asleep, making for a peaceful and unconscious descent.

Every single thing was a blur.

Bianca soon found herself sitting at a totally normal desk in a totally normal room.

"Desk? Room?"

Bianca thought as she looked around.

"Am I..."

A slow, swelling feeling settled in the pit of her heart.

"Am I... home?"

She looked around. This room was normal and quaint, with ordinary colors; nothing bright and eccentric. No chocolate chickens bombarding the space, no talking inanimate objects, nothing that looked two-dimensional or out-of-place...

The house didn't look exactly like hers, but being back on Earth... it was enough for Bianca to consider herself back home.

Before she knew it, a tear dripped off her face.

"Home... I'm home."

Bianca buried her face in her hands.

"Yo."

Bianca promptly lifted her face when she heard a strange voice. Somebody was here?  
Well, if it wasn't her house, it would've been the awkward moment when the owner of the house walked in the room and found Bianca there.

But even when she got out of her seat and roamed around, Bianca could see nobody.  
She went back to her desk, feeling puzzled.

"Yooo."

Listening again, it seemed the voice was coming from the desk!

Bianca looked down at it, and saw that a sheet of homework paper had a moving face.  
Her mouth fell right open. Things were STILL weird!

"You mean... you mean..." Bianca began shivering in realization. "I'm NOT home after all!?"

"Girl, help me please." the paper said.

"How?" Bianca asked it.

"I am a fabulous homework sheet." it crooned. "Unfortunately, nobody wants to solve my problems. Maybe I'm just too cool for them or something? But yeah. If you would kindly do the work listed on me, I would be like, awesomely happy."

Bianca sighed. Doing good deeds felt good. At first. But to help a talking sheet of homework with an attitude by doing the problems listed on it?

"Fine..."

The first problem was a couple lines of sheet music.

"It says to play this on a piano." Bianca told the homework. "Is there a piano around here?"

"Why yes!" the homework said. "It's north of here."

Bianca began walking...

"No, that's south. Turn 180 degrees..."

Bianca, holding the homework sheet in her hands, followed the directions.

"Wait no... you're going too far north now!"

Bianca eventually found the grand piano in a broad room, put the homework flat on its stand, and began to slowly play the music written on it...

She was still an amateur at reading notes, yet she had taken piano lessons for a little while.

After a while, she successfully played a nice little tune.

After she was done, however, the piano's top opened. From inside the piano, light was pouring out.

"I think... I hope this is going to lead me back." Bianca thought, as she stood up on her seat to get ready to climb inside.

Meanwhile...

"Bianca! Where did you go?"

Ruby was turning the pet-shop bathroom upside-down looking for her friend.

She looked in the toilets, lifted all the mirrors, looked in the toilets, pulled out all the paper towels, looked in the toilets...

Did I mention she looked in the toilets? Because sometimes you can find surprises in there.

When she finally stopped for a while and listened to the silence around her, her ears picked up a soft, gentle piano tune.

"It's coming from the toilet..." Ruby noticed. She stuck her ear in it.

When the song finished, the toilet flushed in reverse. Ruby timidly backed away, and Bianca majestically floated out of it, holding a homework paper in her hand. And no, she wasn't sopping wet with toilet water.

"Bianca! Where have you been!?" Ruby hugged her. Bianca hugged Ruby back, feeling more than content to be back with her friend.

Yes, for now... it was almost better than being back home. In fact, this was almost like home. Because a home was never a home without friends.

Bianca noticed almost immediately that the sad paintings the bathroom was covered in had become colorful and happy... and she finally figured everything out.

A painting of space with a smiling, dancing asteroid. A painting of a field with a happy porcupine.

They made Bianca's heart warm to look at.

There was also a kind-of-empty painting of a normal-looking house...

"Hey." the homework said. Bianca jumped out of her sentimental mood. She still had it in her hand!

"You forgot about me." it groaned.

Once they were out of the bathroom, Bianca told the story of where she'd been to Ruby and the owner of the pet shop.

"If you use both of the soaps at the same time, you teleport into the painting you're nearest. I bet Thistle the porcupine would be very happy if you played with him. And Marble the asteroid would be happy if you danced with him sometime. And the third one... well..."

Bianca sinisterly stared at the homework in her hand.

"There's a paper of homework begging for its problems to be solved. But I kind of brought it back here."

The pet shop owner looked at Bianca's hand funny, but soon looked at her face with a smile.

"You know, those sad paintings in the bathroom had been bothering me since I first saw them. I'm so glad you found a way to make them happy." the owner smiled.

Bianca smiled back. She slowly was accomplishing her own goal; becoming someone who spreads happiness.

"Well, we're almost at my house now." Ruby said to Bianca.

The two were now walking along a giant piano. The path was made of an endless array of keys, all which made a different note when stepped on. Running along the path would create a tune.

As Bianca ambled behind, a sweet scent caught the both of them off-guard.  
"Flan!" Ruby exclaimed. She eagerly rushed to where the aroma was coming from, which was a sample stand of two chefs.

Flan.

Not that word! Memories of the incident filled Bianca's brain again. She created a monster while aiming to cook flan. Just like that, everyone began to hate her, and they had a reason to. She was a creator of destruction.

"You want some flan, Bianca?" Ruby optimistically asked, eating some.

Normally, Bianca would've been delighted for some flan. But her stomach already felt like flan. In other words, it felt wiggly, wobbly and just plain unstable.

The monster Bianca had created was probably roaming around this strange land, maybe even causing destruction this very second!


	8. Chapter 8

Dusk had fallen. The flowers outside Ruby's house were glowing in a soft red, and a warm breeze was holding the serene night together.

The inside of her house was rustic and dreary, a thin layer of cool, murky darkness covering then walls and floor.

At the same time, the setting didn't bring Bianca a shiver. It brought her a peaceful feeling.

It didn't feel nearly as scary as it did nostalgic.

Ruby flicked a light on. At first the light flickered and shuttered, but then stabilized into a dark silver glow, illuminating the place tenderly.

"Well..." The shorter girl sighed. "I'm sorry if this isn't what you would expect... honestly. But I can tell you. Pretend this little place is... a high-class mansion, and it can actually work. That's what I do every day. I know it isn't a mansion, but... try, please?"

Bianca smiled, a sweet earthly smile which was kind of like the light which shined in the gray house. She nodded.

"Well... I have food in the kitchen... I hope you like it." Ruby said, humbly. She soon noticed Bianca was roaming around, pondering on when it was okay to settle down into this new person's house.  
"Ah... just feel free to make yourself at home! I wouldn't ever mind!"  
Bianca smiled and plopped down on a nearby couch. She imagined it to feel comfy, just the way a cloud would feel...  
"Bianca, that IS the holographic couch you know!" the pigtailed girl panicked.  
"Huh?" Bianca cried. I was too late and she bumped her bottom right on the floor.  
"This couch... really does feel like a cloud." Bianca thought, somewhat in pain. "Considering you'd go right through a cloud anyway..."  
Bianca stood herself up, wondering for a bit why Ruby would have a holographic couch. She soon settled on that it was the same reason Pepper had owned one—because it was lonely in the house.  
Eep... Pepper. Bianca winced just thinking about her. She quickly wiped the thoughts out of her mind.  
Ruby pulled out a bag of pasta noodles from the pantry.. The package was cute, with polka dots. The pasta was shaped like roses!  
"Oh..." Bianca said, admiring the shape. Each of the pasta shapes were individually crafted, in layers like a rose. "It's like... art."  
"Well." Ruby smiled. "In the place you're in right now, everything here looks like art! The lands you saw outside before? It was geometrical and abstract art! If you venture far enough into this world, you might find sketch world, airbrush land..."  
Ruby dug back into her pantry and found a cabbage made out of rice cracker, some mysterious sauce made out of a rare mushroom (that was supposed to be really tasty), and some pepperoni.  
"Is this... all really going to go together?" Bianca asked.  
"Um... I think so." Ruby answered. "Also, I shouldn't forget those potatoes we got. You see, potatoes were Shadow's favorite food."  
"Oh." Bianca sighed sadly with Ruby. "But maybe if you cook it, she'll come again to visit? Maybe this time you'll even be able to talk to her."  
"Bianca, thank you, but..." Ruby made an embarrassed face. "Well, you see... I'm really bad at cooking!"

Bianca had decided to help Ruby cook, even though she wasn't really a cook herself.  
"Ah!", Ruby sulked as her stick of butter flew out of the window. "That always happens!"  
Ruby ran to the door to run after the stick of butter. (It was a special kind of butter that could actually run away in a fashion similar to the gingerbread man if left outside too long.)  
According to directions Ruby made, it was time to cook the potatoes on a frying pan and add the sauce.  
Bianca placed the potato slices in the pan, added the mushroom sauce, and soon enough the small, yet comforting house was filled with a rich scent.  
Bianca thought about how her cooking happened to be a success only now.  
"It's going well, even though I'm not a good cook."  
Just then, the sizzling and Bianca's soft speaking was interrupted by a distant, almost somber squeak.  
Bianca paused.  
The sizzle of of the sauce began to feel even louder, yet the atmosphere quieted at the same time.  
"Squeak!" Thump.  
This time is seemed closer.  
"A rabbit!?", thought Bianca. "It sounds like its close by. Yet the sound feels distant. And..."  
The girl gazed around the open houseroom.  
"I feel a prescence, but my eyes see nothing. Like the sensation of feeling...a ghost!?"  
"Ring... ring..."  
The sound of tinkling bells crept in and chilled the room. The atmostphere was now shockingly still.  
"Shadow...?" Bianca thought.  
"She probably wants the potatoes!"  
"Squeak!" Bianca suddenly heard a purring noise, coming from all around her.  
Right above her, a transparent vision of a dark grey rabbit hovered above the potato dish, appealing pleased by the smell.

Bianca was fascinated by the vision, and soon smiled at her.  
"Shadow...", she said, warmly.  
She could hardly wait for Ruby to get back and how overjoyed she would be.  
"Shadow... you remember... Ruby, don't you?", she asked it.  
Shadow gave a sad-happy look, and began to twitch her nose.  
"...Shadow!", Bianca barely had knew this rabbit, yet she already felt the wanting to hug it.  
But, as Shadow was a ghost bunny, Bianca found her grip stopping against something cold, transparent. And next, she was treated by a hot, overwhelming burn from the pan, which she ended up toppling against.  
"EYAHAHA!", she exclaimed.  
Tears pinched her eyes as she held up her arms, which were stinging and fizzing.  
"I'm such an idiot sometimes..." She spoke hatefully to herself.  
Surprisingly, what Shadow did was fly over and around Bianca. With a spectacular sound of sparkles, Bianca's arm suddenly healed! It felt better than ever!  
"Shadow!" Bianca was stunned. "You can heal!"  
Just then, a creak in the door signalized Ruby's return. Bianca heard a gasp and whimper coming from where the door would be.  
The small girl dressed in frills dropped the stick of butter. Her eyes became big pools of emotion, and immediately she took off on her feet and ran towards the kitchen.  
"Shadow!" Ruby ran towards the vision, almost sobbing.

"Great. So we lost Bianca."  
Pepper by this time had lost a lot of energy. She had been wandering for hours, only to find herself... nowhere.  
"Really kid. I can't believe you lied that the winner of your dumb contest would be sent back home." Pepper said, grumpily.  
"Hmph." Instead of apologizing (like he was already forced to do thousands of times by Pepper), Kuma instead pointed this out.  
"You do... seem to care a lot more about Bianca than I thought. I'm still wondering... why? Why do you even care about her in the first place?"  
"Just... quiet." Pepper said. "She's the only one around by now who ISN'T a total maniac. Plus, we're both in the same situation, and... and frankly, tracing back to the castle incident, she's the one who put us in this situation!"  
Pepper heard Kuma utter a discreet whisper.

 

"Tsundere..." It sounded like.  
"Hm?" Pepper squinted.  
"Nothing." Kuma responded sing-song-like tone. He had given Bianca's stuffed cat to Pepper to return, which she was now guarding in her tote bag.  
"And the other reason is that you feel bad for her, right?"  
Pepper didn't respond, almost as if she were... trying not to.  
"Well, anyway, I smell something really good cooking!" Kuma said, following the scent of it.  
"Good for you..." Pepper said back.  
As Pepper was following Kuma, who was following the scent of the meal, she then started to hear a familiar voice, in the same confused, panicked tone she has always been hearing it in.  
"What do you mean... Ruby?! You are a ghost too? And..." Bianca spoke in a terrified tone.  
"Yes." Ruby said calmly. "Like all ghosts, I have lost memory of how I became this way,"  
Bianca gasped, she knew Ruby meant the way she had died.  
"But, I do remember that... my life was very happy. Thank you. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be happily reunited like this." Ruby and Shadow hugged each other.  
Bianca concluded that only ghosts could touch each other without passing through one another, yet she was thinking so hard about other things that she barely acknowledged the thought.  
"Now, we can finally rest in peace... goodbye Bianca. You were such a good friend. You reassured me, and you've given me the courage to keep following my dream." Her voice was poignant and sincere. Ruby began to glow with a pure, red light, lifting up her hand to wave goodbye.  
Tears fell from Bianca's eyes and streaked her red cheeks.  
"Don't go..." She called out weakly. She felt heartbroken that her first true friend, who she thought would stick with her forever, was now going away.  
"Well, of you must..." Her words were choked with sobs. "I wish... for your afterlife to be filled with joy. Think of it as a new beginning." Bianca tried speaking clearly, and with a cheerful, wishing tone.  
"You... I believe in you. You will become an actress and act... amongst the stars in the sky!"  
Meanwhile, Kuma and Pepper were now peeking in the old, sparkling house (illuminated from Ruby's glow), from the outside.  
The ironic part is what Kuma said...  
"Are they shooting a movie in there?"  
"I guess so. Bianca and whats-her-name are good actresses." Pepper shrugged.  
Kuma pulled out a bag of popcorn.  
"Extra cheesy. Perfect for watching cheesy scenes."  
Kuma and Pepper began to nonchalantly eat.  
"Cheesy indeed."  
"Goodbye..." Ruby was now shining so bright, that she was nothing but a crisp, white silouette.  
"Farewell my friend!", Bianca called out, trying her best to not sob.  
Suddenly, just as one would expect Ruby to lift of the ground like an angel, and dissolve into invisible fragments, the white silhouette instead faded until she was back to normal.  
Ruby and Bianca stood there for a minute.  
"...Eh?"  
Pepper sniffled.  
"Oh my gosh! Kuma exclaimed. "You're CRYING!".  
He laughed, yet with a scared expression on his face. It was quite... weird.  
"What. No.", Pepper had a stern and solid voice. "It's the chili powder I was dumping on my popcorn."  
She held up a shaker of it.  
Kuma had a bad poker face.  
"...Nice save, my dude. I believe you, THIS TIME." he said.  
Suddenly, a voice came out of nowhere. Nowhere as in no exact location. It resonated from everywhere.  
"Ruby. There is no reason for you to ever rest in peace. You are already the most peaceful person you can be. You have many ties and different friends back on here. This is truly where you will always belong."  
The voice faded away, and so did all the lights. Everything simply reverted to normal.  
Envy suddenly felt like she had weight. She felt Shadow resting on her shoulder. She had thick, fluffy fur.  
"Ruby! Feel my hand!", she exclaimed happily.  
Bianca reached her hand out and gasped in delight when she felt a warm, solid and soft hand.  
"You... Ruby! You're not... a ghost anymore!"  
Ruby gasped with unexplainable delight and jumped around ecstatically.  
"YIPEEEE! oh Bianca! How I have always wanted to a far-off land... and now I can finally leave this place and go so many places! We can be friends forever!"

Bianca hugged Ruby tighter than she'd ever had.  
"Um... Pepper. I suddenly get the feeling that... this isn't acting." Kuma said.  
Pepper sniffled again.  
"...And I also get the feeling that you are ACTUALLY CRYING!" Kuma stated.  
"Shut up, it's chili sauce."  
Seconds after Pepper said that, she stood up and entered the house through the door.  
"Smooth move.", Kuma said. "I would think that would surprise them. And not in any pleasant way."  
And indeed, it did surprise them. In quite an unpleasant way.  
"Gyaaaah!", Bianca screamed involuntary.  
"Pepepepepepper!?"  
"Yes." She said. Her face was stern and serious. Her eyes were devoid of emotion and her expression was incredibly solid.  
But then to Bianca's suprise, she smiled.  
Bianca had to smile back, just a bit. It was the first time Bianca ever saw a true smile of Pepper’s, now that she actually thought if it.  
"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. I had to look for you, I... I couldn't leave you alone."  
"Thank... you." Bianca audibly murmured.  
"And here." Pepper held her arms out and showed Bianca a slightly raggedy white kitten plush with a pink bow.  
"Snowbell! Bianca took the kitten into her arms and gave it a big hug.  
The expression on her face right then was so glorious that it lifted everyone's feelings.  
"Bianca. I'm sorry for saying all those horrible things. I wanted to let you know, you aren't useless. You're kind, and you have a good heart."  
Pepper, realizing how out-of-character she was going, ended her phrase with,  
"And also, you aren't a total wacky maniac. Well... not all the way, at least."  
Kuma, still watching the scene through the window, rolled up his bag of popcorn.  
"Popcorn just... does not go will with dramatic scenes. At all. I have heartburn now."  
"Oh, by the way... didn't Kuma say he had something that's able to send me back home? It was the prize for winning the swag contest?" Bianca asked.  
Kuma began to giggle. An exaggeratingly guilty and mischevious giggle.  
"S-sorry about that." He had a peculiar-looking little half-smile. "I... I lied about that."  
Pepper put her palm to her face while Bianca shrieked.  
"WHAAAAT!?"  
"Aww." Ruby said.  
"But, I'll make sure to give you a nice life for the time being! I won't let anything happen to you Bianca!" Ruby looked really determined.

EPIC MEANWHILE...  
"Anise, Anise!", the little annoying Zircon raved to the ticked-off girl in dark sepia, who was now soaring though a clear, blue sky on her bewitched broom; the clouds an uplifting white contrast.  
Almost as of the beautiful sky was mocking Anise and all of her frustration.  
"WHAT IS IT, ZIRCON!?", Anise yelled to her younger sidekick. Zircon was a boy with a sharp electrifying blue outfit and shocking white hair.  
"A world made out of candy would be SUPER easy to take over, Anise! Just saying." Zircon gestured.  
"What nonsense are you even rambling about?", Anise nagged. "A world made out of candy... are you implying that I'm pathetic?!"  
"No!", Zircon urged, slightly intimidated. "Look directly below you! There's a land made out of SWEETS!"  
Anise looked down and immideatly gave a girly squeal when she saw the confection utopia which sprawled a ways around her.  
"You're right, Zircon!"  
Her mouth opened obnoxiously wide.  
"You know... all this fighting with that Stelle does work me up an appetite!"  
Anise took a hard nosedive on her broom, headed straight to the wonderland of sweets.  
"Let's-a go!" and "Gyauyaagh!" were what their two cries sounded like as they raced through the thin atmostphere.  
As usual, the slightly clumsy Anise had a bad landing-right smack in the middle of a ridiculously sugary race course, and right in front of the army of speeding cars-made out of you guessed it... CANDY!  
"Haaah!", Anise shrieked as scented winds flew past, as the candy cars did everything they could to avoid running over the strange witch girl who just fell out of the sky.  
"Watch where you're going, licorice-face!", yelled a girl with an ice cream come on her head.  
The next racer who passed by was noticeably slower than the others,  
"I'm sorry..." She sighed as she staggered on in her racecar past Anise, looking helpless.  
Anise weakly pulled herself up, disdaint.

"What. In. The. World." She said.


	9. Chapter 9

"And first to the finish line is..."  
The announcer's voice was cut off by the VROOM-VROOM storm of cars flying over the finish line in speedy succession.  
As usual, Flannery Flanagan and her rolling caramel cheese car had come in last in the race. She sighed, trying to keep a smile on her round face regardless.  
"At least I tried, and at least I will get better, right? Believe in yourself, Flan...", she smiled sweetly to herself.  
From behind a stack of cream puff boulders, a sneaky Anise could clearly be seen, spying on the young, lonely girl.  
"Flannery, heh?", Anise cackled. "She's so oblivious. It's like she doesn't even notice me being here!"  
"I... don't think it's a good idea to m-mention that out loud...", Zircon said in a strained voice.  
Anise was standing on top of Zircon's shaky shoulders, as if he were a human stool, in order to get a view of what Flannery was doing.  
"Today's plan will be to desaturate that girl's hope and happiness, and eventually all the whimsy in this place!" Anise evily declared. "I was told to start small, and that little pipsqueak is certainly small!"  
Meanwhile...

6:20 PM  
A cool night shade had fallen over the land of shapes. The house was lit with the yellow light which shone out the window, looking like an odd star from a distance. Ruby was finishing up the preparation of the meal, with Bianca, Kuma and Pepper taking turns on the side helping.  
Shadow was energetically circling around on the floor, chasing after her own little rabbit feet it seemed. The smell of food was exciting her.  
When Pepper took a break from helping with the meal, she plopped down on the non-holographic couch in Ruby’s living room, sighed, and glanced at Kuma who was laying down on the floor, wrapped up in a blue heavy blanket.  
The kid was unexpectedly a great cook. He should've, would've, and could've cooked the entire meal himself. But instead, he was all out of energy. He had used all of it on being a total brat earlier that day...  
"So kid, why did you follow me all the way here? Just who are you, really?" Pepper said to Kuma.  
Kuma, who was obviously awake at this point, rolled around to face the other direction and wouldn't respond.  
"You're very troublesome, you know?" Pepper said.  
"Fine then." Kuma said. "I thought we were friends."  
"You have a huge attitude." Pepper said shaking his head, "And you're nothing like Bianca."  
"I knew you liked Bianca from the start." Kuma said.  
A short silence fell. The sound of sizzling food and echoes of soft voices coming from the kitchen took over.  
"As a friend I do." Pepper said quietly. "Why are you so against her?"  
Kuma gave a huffy breath.  
"Because, she reminded me of my imaginary enemy!" Kuma said, his voice cracking.  
"So... you thought this all... was just a game?" Pepper asked.  
Right when Kuma was to respond, a shrill cry came back from the kitchen area.  
"Peppeeeerr!" It was Bianca's shriek, combined with Ruby's yelps in the background. "There's another fire in the pan! We need you to absorb it with your nostrils again!"  
"Again!?"  
Pepper rushed back to the kitchen and left Kuma alone in the dark living room.  
"Maybe... maybe I should apologize to Bianca," Kuma thought. "I should stop playing silly games... because making people feel bad shouldn't be a game... right?"  
Kuma sighed.  
"Sorry, Bianca."

6:40 PM  
Kuma decided to spend the night at Ruby's house before going home in the morning, back to his kingdom of games. He wondered for a while how worried his sister Kiri would be if he wasn't back. At least without Kuma, the small kingdom would be undisturbed for one night.  
It was time to let the pasta sit for a while, so everyone left the kitchen for a few minutes. Ruby was getting out her nightgowns for everyone to wear as they spent the night. Frilly, lacy, old-fashioned pajamas. They looked quite elegant, and made Pepper cringe at the sight.  
They were thin, swishy, billowy, cozy, and even sweetly-scented. As if they were made of a spring breeze.  
"Ah, I love them!" Bianca declared, ruffling the frills.  
Pepper, however, was nowhere near as satisfied as Bianca with wearing rosy frills. She groaned and looked away from them.  
"Oh come on, Pepper." Kuma singsonged, sashaying in his nightgown. "Put them on already!"  
"No, I'm going to sleep in my normal clothes!" She said. "I always sleep in them anyway. No need to change that."  
"Okay then. Sleep in those old, unwashed, tight, dirty clothes then. Bianca and I will be wearing swag!" Kuma got up, did a little dance, and put his arm around Bianca.  
"Is Kuma... being nicer to me?" Bianca thought suddenly.  
"Hey, but... what does swag even mean?" Bianca wondered.  
"Swag is swaaaag." Kuma said in an cool tone, pretending to be pushing some sunglasses higher on his face or something.  
"Um, yeah..." Bianca gave Kuma a squinted expression, then faced Pepper. "But seriously, I... actually think you should wear it, Pepper. They really do feel comfortable. And well... you surely must be uncomfortable."  
"NO! My reason is better, it has SWAG!" Kuma danced.  
Pepper refused to respond.  
"...Wear it, Pepper!" Kuma said.  
"Y-yeah, wear it!" Bianca cheered, getting in on the act of annoying the redhead.  
"WEAR IT PEPPER, WEAR IT PEPPER!" They chanted like small children.  
Pepper silently plugged her ears as Kuma and Bianca laughed. Ruby sat on the side, with a random slightly amused expression.  
"We aren't going to shut up until you wear it, Pepper!" Kuma said.  
Pepper finally grunted, picked up the frilly nightgown, and limped towards the bathroom with a flat expression.  
"Haha, success!" Kuma and Bianca did a high-five.

7:00 PM  
When the food was ready, Ruby served everyone the unique pasta.  
The pasta was tastefully al-dente, and the white mushroom sauce was creamy, solid and rich, just the right amount of savory flavor.  
"Eating dinner in pajamas is my favorite pastime! I'm glad to share it with all of you!" Ruby said sweetly.  
Bianca lifted a spoonful of the creamy richness to her mouth and felt a warm tingle of toasty comfort sweep through her.  
"Ahh, we did it, Ruby!" She said, her eyes sparkling, "This is great!"  
Pepper wasn't even talking. She was too busy shoveling mouthful after mouthful into her mouth and chewing on it silently. It looked like she was trying to hide the fact that she was in bliss.  
Bianca and Ruby glanced back at each other and smiled.  
Shadow was at the center of the table, munching on her potatoes. Delighted squeaks were coming out of her.  
"You guys are really good cooks, man!" Kuma said happily, petting the rabbit's soft fur. "And um... Bianca, I realized I've been very... not-nice to you. Can you... um, accept my apology?"  
Bianca looked at him, her face pleased and forgiving. Slowly, she nodded once.  
"Kuma, th-thank you." She said. "I'm sorry too..."  
Kuma suddenly became consoling.  
"For what?" He asked.  
"For... um... I don't know." Bianca sputtered. "Haha, n-now that I think of it, I guess I just apologize too much!"  
Bianca laughed, then Kuma began to follow in the laughter.  
"You guys are so cute!" Ruby whispered. "It's really great to be bonding over food like this!"  
On the round wooden table, everybody kept eating.  
Yet at the pit of Bianca's stomach, there was still guilt. Was Stelle handling that monster she created? Bianca hoped with all her heart that everything was under control. Or else...  
Even though the meal was delectable, Bianca could only eat until she was two-thirds full. Her flimsy stomach was just tied up in too many knots.  
"I'm finished." Bianca said first out of everyone, sliding her almost-eaten plate towards the center of the table before leaving for the outside porch.  
Ruby eyed Bianca concernedly as she quickly stepped away.  
"Hey!" Kuma said, breaking the silence, "You know what that means! We should play a game, and whoever wins gets to finish off Bianca's food for her!"

8:30 PM  
"Now... let's all watch a SCARY MOVIE!", Kuma said in a loud, enthusiastic voice.  
"Boring." Said Pepper nonchalantly.  
Bianca began to whimper softly.  
"I... I don't like scary movies!" She wailed.  
"Bianca. Nothing in those shoddy movies are even real anyway." Pepper looked Bianca in the eye, speaking calmly.  
Bianca's droopy-eyed face did not change.  
"...Well, just laugh at them with me, and you won't be scared as much, okay?" Pepper sighed. Once again, she seemed to be showing her sensitive side, in bits.  
"Aww." Ruby cooed quiet enough for nobody to hear.  
Pepepr remembered she was still wearing the embarrassingly frilly nightgown.  
"...Besides, wearing this thing is the scariest it's gonna get anyway." She said.  
"As a former ghost myself, I find scary movies degrading." Ruby said, smoothing her gown. "We're not all scary, or hideous. At least we don't mean to be-"  
Suddenly, a wall of darkness hit everyone like a violent slap. Kuma had flicked off the lights in the room.  
He laughed with an obnoxious evil tone, and lit a flashlight to his face. Kuma's face looked as if it was glowing and floating.  
"Aah!" Bianca shrieked involuntarily.

"Bianca, don't be scared, it's just Kuma!" Pepper said.  
"I'm scared BECAUSE it's Kuma!" Bianca shouted.  
Kuma took out a dark DVD case from his bag.  
"...What was that even doing there in the first place?" Everyone else asked. One might've even sworn that Shadow had developed a voice and spoke too.  
"Anise dropped this when she flew away earlier." Kuma answered.  
With a shockingly sinister grin, he crawled over to Ruby's old TV and pushed it in.  
Bianca found herself leaning a bit towards Pepper, feeling tense.  
Ruby sat alone in the dark, shaking her head.  
"I really don't see why people like to watch these things... and they think WE'RE dark and gruesome."  
The video started. The picture was in high-contrast black and white, making the normal-looking house in the foreground look like a ghostly mansion. A hauntingly airy and chilling voice began to tell a story that started to sound kind of familiar...  
"Once upon a time... in a very far-off land, there was a girl.  
"So far as now, we don't know anything about this girl, or what she is like. But you might have known her once. Wait, maybe you are her."  
Bianca gulped. The voice sounded so direct as if talking to her. But no... of course it wasn't, right?  
"This girl mysteriously went missing a while ago. They say she was last seen in a field on a snowy day. From that day on, the field became possessed. The spot is surrounded by a soft white glow. Animals refuse to enter the circle in which the very air feels possessed with dangerous magic. Anyone else who enters the circle is supposed to vanish themselves.  
"There is no sound when you are near the circle. The only sound able to be heard is very faint, but it is the sound of a girl's voice.  
"Miracle, magical, MANGOOOOOO..."

Bianca squeaked when she recognized the words.  
Through hearing her own shriek, she also recognized the familiar-sounding voice, it was her OWN! Or at least a voice that sounded strikingly like her own.  
The narrator's voice came on again for seconds,  
"And the kicker of this is story? Nothing about it is fic-..."  
The video cut off, right in the middle of a word. There was nothing but popcorn-like static left on the screen now.  
Everyone stared at the fizzling screen.  
"Oh no, it's broken!" Kuma whined and pulled out the videotape, now seeing that the film was to the very end.  
"...Wait... that was IT!? Lame-O I tell you!"  
"Still, the last word he said that got cut off... 'fic'... 'fictional'?" Kuma stated. "So that means none of it was made-up."  
Bianca was sitting curled up, silently hyperventilating.  
"Um... maybe the word was... fic... um, 'fickle'?" Ruby suggested.  
Kuma looked to the side and saw Bianca, who was curled into a shivering fluffy little ball of timorous Bianca-ness.  
"Girl. You seriously scared?" Kuma poked Bianca on the shoulder, causing the timid lump of shivers to jerk and gasp.  
"You sure do get scared easily..." Kuma said again.  
Bianca sunk into a rapid whirlpool of thoughts.  
"Why did Anise have a video that seems to be about me? What does it all mean? I don't want to be involved in any more weirdness, I want to go home!"

9:30 PM  
Everything was silent in the room for a while. Everyone sat on their own in the dark like discarded dolls, eyed wide open, not knowing what to do. Shadow the rabbit was the only living being in the room that was asleep.  
Suddenly...  
"Pajama party." A whispery whisper broke the silence. It was Kuma's. Everyone's faces perked up.  
"Pajama party." Another whisper came in succession. It was Bianca's.  
"Heehee." Ruby giggled.  
"No." Whispered Pepper.  
"Yes." Whispered Kuma.  
"Pajama party." Bianca murmured, with an amused smile on her face.  
"PA... JAMA PARTAAY!" Kuma jumped up, yelled, and flicked the light in the room on. He pulled a noisemaker out from his pocket and blew it.  
Pepper covered her ears and groaned.  
"Well, I noticed everyone is mopey and stressed..." Kuma said, "So you know what? Let's all just have a party, even if we have no reason to! We'll have a party just for the sake of having one."  
Bianca's face lit up. She liked this idea. To just have fun and forget about things...  
"Thank you, Kuma..." she said softly.  
"She doesn't hate me!" Kuma thought, feeling immensely relieved.  
"My pleasure." Kuma stuck his tongue out and lifted off the backwards baseball cap he was wearing. His green hair flew out in all directions like a blazing verdant fire.  
"So Ruby, got any party things in this creaky ol' home of yours?"  
Ruby stuck her rabbit-like tongue out at Kuma. She went into her closet, pulled out a radio, some CDs, a disco ball, and a game of "pin the wings on the fractail".  
Ruby turned on some orchestral music and started smiling uncontrollably when the powerful voice started singing. Her little red eyes filled with sparkles.  
"Who's this singing?" Bianca asked.  
"Soleil!" Ruby squealed loudly and squeezed Bianca's arm. Her cheeks were glowing rosy pink.  
"Oof!" Bianca exclaimed as Ruby melted all over her.  
"Soleil, Soleil!" Ruby squeaked. "Her name is commercially 'SOLEIL' in all-caps. Her title is '~The Daughter of the Sun and Moon~'. She's so amazing and she's a master vocalist, who's also an actress, who also composes her own music, and she plays almost all the stringed instruments there are, including the elusive harp of the heavens that could only be played by Whimsica's celestial royals! She's so breathtakingly spectacular and extraordinarily phenomenal and I could only dream to be by her side one day! Ahh, Soleil..."  
Everyone stopped and stared at Ruby. Kuma backed away slightly.  
"I had no idea Ruby could be so passionate... I thought she was so calm and placid." Kuma and Pepper both thought.  
"Ah, is that why you want to become an actress, Ruby?" Bianca asked. Ruby nodded, still with her face on Bianca's shoulder.  
"By the way..." Bianca said quietly, "You can get off now..."  
"Sorry!" Ruby murmured.  
Everyone relaxed and listened as the moody soundtrack ended, and the next track that played was an upbeat electronic party song that filled Ruby's small room with life. The voice that sang so sweetly and melodic in the previous song was now sultry-sounding and intense.  
"Wait, is this still Soleil singing?" Bianca said. "She sounds so different here!"  
Ruby slipped back into her dreamy mode and nodded again.  
"Mm-hm!" She swooned. "She's so versatile too..."  
"This song makes me wanna dance!" Kuma did some spins on the floor, and when the song's instrumental break came, he started rapping.  
"So much swag, I can fly, I can glide through the sky  
Flying high, through the night, with my friends by my side  
So don't frown, don't be down, happiness all around!  
And our style will blow all of the roofs off this town!"  
Everyone unexpectedly clapped.  
"Dang, Kuma!" Pepper shouted. "The song should've had you in it! It should've been a 'SOLEIL feat. Prince Kuma song!"  
Pepper was actually blown away for once, by Kuma's rapping of all things! Bianca found it incredibly unexpected.  
But then, something even more unexpected happened. Ruby turned steaming red and glared at Kuma and Pepper.  
"NO!" she yelled. "If anyone here should be performing alongside SOLEIL, it should be ME!"  
Everyone turned into noodles and backed away, including Shadow who was sleeping only seconds ago.  
"Ruby's losin' it!" Kuma stammered. "I never knew she had such a side!"  
Ruby rewinded the CD back to the instrumental break and started rapping herself.  
"I'm an actress in training and I know how to rock  
And when I open my mouth, it'll knock your socks off!  
I can fly like an SOLEIL, I can sing like an SOLEIL,  
Do you hear that? One day I'll BE the next SOLEIL!  
So you better watch out, and you better not cry  
Because anything can happen when Ruby tries!"  
Bianca began clapping very enthusiastically. Kuma stood on the side, giving a slow clap.  
"Not bad." He said, smugly, tilting his cap to the side.  
"I didn't know Ruby could rap." Pepper said, becoming mildly freaked out.  
"Girl, you wanna rap battle?" Kuma smirked, crossing his arms. "I'll take you on."  
"I'll happily beat you down!" Ruby growled and gave a peace sign.  
"I bet you'll never ever ever think of a rhyme!" Kuma spat.  
"Better think before you leap because I came back this time!" Ruby gave Kuma a competitive glare!  
"Hocus pocus, you will lose your focus!" Kuma chanted.  
"I'm a natural poet, all your words are bogus!" Ruby hit back.  
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" Kuma exploded.  
"Even though the sound of you is something quite atrocious!" Ruby snapped.  
"I um... had some awesome hash browns... f-for breakfast...!" Kuma stammered.  
"Yay, I win!" Ruby seemed to become her benevolent self again, twirling around the floor like a giddy little girl.  
"H-how in the world..." Kuma realized now that he was sweating. Ruby on the other hand, didn't even break a blush.

"It's okay Kuma..." Bianca said, with a genuine kind smile.  
Kuma sighed.  
"Thanks, I guess." He said, calming down.  
"I trained hard and long to be worthy to share the stage with SOLEIL..." Ruby said, longingly. "Even to be the rapper in her latest hip-hop song, I practiced for that!"  
"Can you rap, Pepper?" Kuma asked curiously.  
"Not really. No." Pepper said, acting kinda embarrassed.  
Bianca made a scrunched face, feeling like the redhead was being modest. Wasn't she the girl who could do anything? Pepper who effortlessly won the swag competition?  
Pepper, as if he had read Bianca's mind, gave a modest statement.  
"Actually, I suck at most things." She said.  
"Huh? No way?" Kuma and Bianca said in unison.  
"The things I was forced to do in the swag tournament... were the only things I'm good at. Even those things... I was doing my absolute best. All eyes were on me and I was feeling extremely pressured. I couldn't have done that well under any other circumstance."  
Everybody needed their weaknesses. Bianca certainly had more than enough weaknesses, or so she thought. But Pepper too? Bianca wondered if it was true. Either way, it was a reassuring revelation.  
"By the way, spelling 'antidesestablishmentarianism' is something usually taught in kiddygarden around these areas." Kuma said. "That's most likely why Pepper knew how to spell it."

"Ah, I see..."  
A wave of silence came, and Bianca felt she had to break it.  
"I'd probably be horrible at rapping." The timid girl said modestly.  
"Aww, why don't you try?" Ruby looked at her with big shiny eyes, persuading her to take back the negative comment about herself.  
"Um... okay?" Bianca fidgeted.  
"Bianca rapping? Oho, this is something I have to see!" Kuma burst into laughter, pulling out a box of fresh cheesy popcorn.  
"...Just where are you getting this popcorn from?" Pepper asked rhetorically.  
Bianca took a deep breath, fidgeted with her fingers, and nervously started to mumble her rap.  
"Um... My name is Bianca, and I like to pet kittens?  
I'm lost in this strange world without any mittens...  
Like a girl in a story somebody had written..."  
Suddenly, a spotlight came out of nowhere and shone down on Bianca.  
"Like a girl in a story somebody had written..." The words Bianca said were echoing until it became an abstract sound. Immense, calming sound. Sound Bianca was able to hear without using her ears. Vivid color filled her mind. The spotlight spread and the room vanished into an indecipherable mess of color and sound.  
Everything around Bianca was vibrating, turning all different colors until they were a mystic shade of purple. It was quite pretty, beautiful even, like nothing Bianca had ever seen before.  
An anti-gravity feeling befell the girl, floating in the glittering prism. It had a calming effect. Bianca had no idea what was happening, yet she wasn't scared, as if she knew not to be scared. Could those glitters be the stars?  
She picked up the broad sound of a voice. The words echoed into the mess of noise and were hard to make out.  
"If you believe... yourself... make it your own story..."  
The voice's sound melted away. Bianca reached above her, trying to answer, but no sound came from her vocal chords. The noise, all around her, was too massive.  
The bright colors faded, everything returned to its original state. Ruby's slightly chilly, rustic, and quaint room was back in view. Four sets of eyes were staring at Bianca, including the rabbit from her cage.  
"Wow, you lose..." Kuma said. "It sure is taking a while to think of your next rhyme."  
Bianca's eyes were darting everywhere.  
"But guys... didn't you see what happened?" She said.  
Everyone else looked puzzled.  
"What happened?" Pepper asked.  
"I... everything changed colors... and then I heard a voice? It's so hard to explain, but it felt like an out-of-body experience."  
"All I saw was you zoning out." Kuma said. "You had an empty look in your eyes... I was getting worried."  
"Wait, what was that you said? Before you had the out-of-body experience?" Pepper asked for seemingly no reason.  
"Oh, I said..." Bianca gulped.  
Bianca was going to say the words again and she had no telling what was going to happen this time. It seemed like every time Bianca mumbled something random, it triggered a surreal happening of some sort.  
"Like a girl in a story somebody had written." Bianca spoke, her entire body frozen but her mouth.  
The room did not undergo any transformation. Everything stayed soundless, still, and typical. One could literally hear the chirping of crickets outside, reassuring Bianca that she was in a house, a place that was rational.  
"Wait, I forgot to tell you, there was a voice I heard too!" Bianca said. "It said something about believing in myself, and making it my own story. I'm assuming they're talking about my journey so far..."  
"The out-of-body experience anyway... it reminds me of a legend I heard." Pepper said.  
"Hm?" Bianca felt perplexed.  
"I don't really believe in legends." Pepper stated, "...But I heard a story about certain people having the power to transcend the borders between reality and fantasy. They are able to enter the worlds inside books, paintings, and other creations. You see... to the people with this power, the universe acts as their canvas, which means that they can alter the world using their own creativity. And through an out-of-body experience, these people can even escape the universe itself, into the world above us..."  
Bianca's blue eyes were scintillating.  
"I've entered sad paintings before and made them happier, haven't I? Plus I've altered things by saying spells..." She thought. "And this world... this one I'm in right now... could it be that I've really entered a story?"  
Pepper still continued her wordy explanation.  
"I heard that the bearers of this rare power can't control it with ease. They can barely control it at all. It's very erratic. Even though they have the ability to create whimsy, the powers are known for doing more bad than good. If one of those people existed right now, it could destroy the whimsy of this world, putting the world of Whimsica in danger."

Bianca gasped silently and broke out into a cold sweat that paralyzed her.  
"Wait... no!" she thought. "The monster... The flan monster I created! I put this world in danger, didn't I..."  
Bianca felt her stomach turn to stone. What was whimsy? Was it the magic that made up the world? The very world she was destroying just by being there?  
"Pepper..." Bianca's voice came out shaky. "I..."  
Bianca's weak voice came to an abrupt stop. She stood there motionless. How was she going to tell him that she could very well be one of these danger-bringers?

"Look at that, the sky's turning into black licorice." Anise looked up at the sky above Sweetopia, the land of sweets. Even the sky looked like it was made out of candy. It was enough to make someone's head explode. "We're out of warp magic, so I guess we're going to have to spend the night in this dopey sweets world."  
"Yay!" Zircon cheered. Anise shifted her olive eyes at him. "Um... I mean, oh fluff!"  
"'Oh no' is right!" Anise said. "Unless we act polite, they're going to kick us out! I have to fake being POLITE in order to get a room, you know how hard that's gonna be!?"  
"Being polite isn't that bad." Zircon shrugged.  
"Yes, it is!" Anise argued. "Politeness is horrible!"  
Anise and Zircon quickly found a tall building that said "HOTEL" in big glowing candy cane pop-rock lights. A sign on the window stated, "No Rudeness Allowed"!  
Anise gulped shakily as if she was downing a spoonful of high fructose corn syrup.  
"You can do this, Anise..." She thought to herself. "You CAN be polite. You really hate it, but you're capable."  
Anise took a deep breath of her sugary surroundings, and walked refinedly into the hotel's lobby.  
The lobby was broad, colorful, and tarty. Many people in tuxedos and frilly tutus sat around to the smooth jazz softly playing in the interior.  
"Yuck, all these sweets..." Anise thought. "I can't stand any besides black licorice..."  
The jolly gingerbread man at the registration desk tipped off his red twizzler hat and smiled.

 

"Welcome to Sweet Dreams Hotel, how may we help you?"  
"Room... p-pleease..." Anise gagged. The very thought of the word "please" made her toxic soul burn.  
"Here is... your money." Anise weakly held out five gum wrappers, which was the currency in Sweetopia.  
"Wow, thanks! These are bobble berry gum-wrappers, the kind I collect!" The gingerbread man said.  
"Thank you." Anise choked out. "I'm h-happy for you..."  
"Sounds like you aren't feeling well." The gingerbread man said. "That's okay, because our hotel has free medical care, but only if you're polite!"  
"No thanks, I'm fine!" Anise came back to life and shouted.  
"Really? Okay, sign your names here, both of you."  
The gingerbread man slipped the registration paper on the lobby counter and went to take a hot chocolate break. Anise wrote the names "Anise" and "Zircon" down in grape ink.  
"Hey, why did you write your name in pretty cursive, and mine in ratty scribble?" Zircon asked. "Plus I hate my name! I want it to be something more 'fluffy-fluff', like Connie!"  
"Ack, stop complaining! Your voice is so annoying!" Anise yelled at Zircon.  
"W-well, your attitude is annoying!" Zircon made a comeback, trying to grab the registration paper from the desk.  
"What do you think you're doing, ZIRCON." Anise leapt for the registration paper, but Zircon spun around and wouldn't give it to her.  
"Anise, you're a vegetable!" Zircon gave her a funny face.  
"Why thank you, I love vegetables." Anise spat back. "You, on the other hand, remind me of high crustose corn syrup because you're so sickeningly SWEET!"  
"I know I am!" Zircon smiled. "And you're attractive!"  
"No, YOU'RE the attractive one! Wait... what did I just say?"  
"Ha ha, you fell for it!" Zircon lifted his arm to cover his blushing giggle.  
Anise was steaming.  
"ZIRCON, give me the PAPER!"  
Anise tackled the boy and sent them both tumbling down on the gobblestone floor. The force of the impact caused Zircon's winter hat to fly off. A painful bolt of lightning came out from Zircon's silver electric hair, shocking Anise right in the face.  
"Holy pumpernickels, that HURTS!" Anise screamed. The entire lobby quieted and turned their faces and eyes towards the scene. Even the picture on the wall.  
The gingerbread man game back with an angry face was red as a cherry lollipop.  
"Get out." He said. "There's a sign right outside that says 'No Rudeness Allowed'! You two broke the most important rule!"  
Coming out from a nearby hall was an army of peanut butlers. The peanuts with arms, legs, and dashing outfits marched right towards the two and literally threw them out.  
"Oh great... now what are we going to do?" Anise said, picking her face off the gobblestone floor.  
"IT'S YOUR FAULT." Both shouted in unison.  
"Jinx! Jinx, jinx, JINX!" Anise and Zircon took handfuls of vanilla ice cream snow and threw them at each other. When they were finished, they sighed. What good was coming out of being mean to each other?  
"Let's just sleep in a chocolate volcano or something..." Anise suggested.  
"Good joke, Anise..." Zircon moaned weakly.  
"I'm not even joking, where else do we even have to go?" Anise groaned.

11:00 PM  
Everyone was curled up in a sleeping bag in the warm house, slumbering on the soft floor of Ruby's room. Soft, delighted snores filled the house from corner to corner. The snores of everyone, except one.  
Bianca Luna did nothing much but toss and turn all night, feeling stale and tense, exhausted yet restless.  
"What a day. I can't believe all of this."  
She sat up and gave a quiet, shaky sigh. Everything was starting to sink in. The sorrow, the fear, the feeling of being lost and alone.  
"I want to go home. Will I ever? Do I have a purpose here? A crybaby like me?"  
The knots came back in Bianca's stomach. Too many things to think about...  
"I miss my home so much... but I was so lonely there. If I go back now, nothing will change."  
Bianca gripped her sides and shivered. There was a chilly draft coming in from the nearby window. Bianca was never good at enduring the cold.  
"I might even have to say goodbye to them..."  
Bianca looked around at their sleeping faces. Ruby smiled in her sleep. Pepper slept stiffly with a still face. Kuma was sleeping in a weird position and was snoring the loudest.  
"The first friends I've ever made. If I make it back home, I might not see any of them ever again..."  
Bianca looked up out the window. There was the crescent moon, looking like it was made of cheese. Her stomach growled. Remembering how she was too anxious and overwhelmed to eat, tears came into her eyes. She wiped them away and whimpered quietly.  
"I'm a failure... and a nobody. But... I was brave today, wasn't I? I... I'm still a coward, but..."  
Bianca sank back down and buried her face in her pillow.  
"I want to go home... What am I doing here? I'm scared and I really miss everything..."  
Bianca was still exhausted. Crying herself to sleep, the path to dreamland eventually found her and she drifted off in a warm void. Bianca floated away on a bed of dreams to a peaceful world. Not here, nor there. Nowhere. Where nothing mattered for a while and sweet thoughts took over.  
For those sweet few hours, nothing mattered.


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm all alone..."  
A small girl with long snowy hair sat at the center of a broad, empty room. Hands under her eyes, she was sobbing. A plush kitten lay on the floor in front of her, raggedy and worn-out with lots of handling. Its front paw was torn.  
The friendless girl clutched the kitten plush to her chest and continued sobbing. It was the only thing she could do.  
She was all alone.

"Oh..."  
A pair of rested blue eyes flew open into the peach-colored warm morning atmosphere.  
"Where am I... Oh?"  
Bianca looked around the sunlit room and saw their faces, still sleeping peacefully. Ruby, Pepper, and...  
"Where's Kuma?" Bianca thought as she rubbed her eyes groggily.  
She got out of her sleeping bag to look around some more and noticed something on the floor where Kuma was previously sleeping. A note.  
Bianca curiously picked it up. The handwriting looked like Comic Sans.  
"Heyo, sorry I'm leaving so suddenly. Ruby, thanks tons for letting me stay the night! I had to go back to the Game Kingdom, my sister Kiri gets really worried about me, even though she tries to act angry to cover it up! Well, here are some magic bananas, they make you float when you eat them. Well that's it. Ciao! Bye everyone! "  
In the corner, Kuma drew himself flashing the "peace" symbol.  
Bianca smiled at the note, a little saddened that this could be the last she would see of the rambunctious boy. She picked up the bunch of three bananas, each one a different shade of the sunset. They certainly looked quite magical.  
Bianca looked at the note again, sighing.  
That was when she noticed the fine print.  
"P.S. So, I see you noticed the fine print, huh? Sorry Bianca, I couldn't resist drawing on your face while you were asleep!"  
Bianca's mouth fell open. She felt like a fool! Thankful that nobody else was up at the moment to see Bianca's face, she hobbled to the sink in the bathroom and looked in the mirror.  
With purple magic marker, Kuma had drawn a purple mustache under Bianca's nose, two pink patches on her cheeks, and the words "SWAG MONSTER" on her forehead in all caps (which presented backwards in the mirror).  
Bianca quickly turned on the faucet water and washed the scribble off her face.  
"The next time I see Kuma, I'm going to do the same to him!" Bianca thought. But she was grinning.  
When she got back to the bedroom, Bianca saw Pepper and Ruby waking up.  
"Good morning." Ruby said groggily. She had a certain air of peace to her. Shadow was cuddled safely in her lap.  
Pepper simply yawned, looked around, and curled back up in her sleeping bag mumbling like a lazy cat.

Meanwhile...  
Suddenly, Offenbach's "Can Can" started playing. Anise and Zircon spontaneously woke up and found that they were sliding down a chocolate waterside!

"Whoa, what is happening?!" Anise shrieked.  
"I think the chocolate volcano erupted!" Zircon shouted.  
The chocolate was all sliding down into a huge storage container where it would be processed to be made into sweets. It was an invention to protect the town from the chocolate eruptions, as well as use the torrent of chocolate to their benefit.  
Candy, the spunky, cheerful princess, emerged from her castle and began cheering, seeing the silhouette of the erupting volcano from the distance.  
"Horray! The big chocolate eruption of the year XX is happening!" She spun around cheerfully.  
Suddenly, the entire town started doing the Can Can wearing long fruit-roll-ups skirts. Candy was at the front, fantastically conducting the music that blared through the town.  
Anise and Zircon huddled together as they slipped and slid down with the chocolate waves. The chocolate processing machines were below them, getting closer and closer.  
"Anise, I don't want to turn into a chocolate WonderBar!" Zircon cried, holding on to the older girl's arm.  
"Save us! Someone!" Anise cried.  
Suddenly, a UFO was in the air! A UFO made of... gelatin?  
A small purple girl with a gummy bear hood was inside the UFO.  
"Grab on to my UFO!" She said.  
"You're not going to abduct us, are you now?" Anise cried.  
"I'm here to save you from a chocolatey doom!" The girl said. She seemed like someone nice and wholesome. Anise actually felt grateful, which was a questionable emotion for an antagonist to typically be feeling.  
The two antagonists grabbed on to the sticky UFO and it lowered them down into safe land.  
"Who are you?" Anise asked the small girl, once they were on dry land. Good thing the chocolate was the non-stick kind, or else they would've been covered in chocolate!  
"Sorry, I really have to go! I'm too busy!" The girl said, flying away on her UFO.  
"I'll tell you who I am later! Eventually!"

Bianca told the other two that Kuma left, showing them the present he left behind. Ruby and Pepper breathed sighs of relief.  
"Well, I guess I'll miss the little troublemaker though." Pepper shrugged.  
"Me too." Said Bianca.  
After a few moments of silence, Bianca lifted her head.  
"So what are we going to do now?" She asked. "I'm still lost. Pepper is lost here too, and it's all my fault..."  
"It's fine." Pepper said quietly. Though her expressionless demeanor expressed otherwise.  
"You two can stay here as long as you want..." Ruby started coyly, "But it's not like being home, isn't it?"  
Bianca slowly nodded.  
The room was silent, and soft noise from outside began to stroll in.  
A lively, poppy tune danced around everyone's ears. It got Bianca's attention, so she looked out the window.  
"Cruising along the stars and the galaxy, with my magical sparkle broom..."  
The voice sounded familiar. The sound of the voice made nerve-wracking memories run down Bianca's spine.  
A whorl of pink hair bounced along the edge of the window. A familiar little whorl of pink hair...  
"Stelle!?" Bianca exclaimed.  
Stelle was flying right outside Ruby's house with what seemed to be her own theme song blasting from a loudspeaker attatched to her flying broom. She was singing karaoke along with it. She was a bit shabby, but sang with all her soul.  
Silverbell was resting in the girl's uneven lap the best she could. Stelle's singing was getting on her nerves.  
"Why, Bianca?!" The little witch girl shouted as she soared on the broomstick. "How was she able to create such a strong monster? She must have really terrible powers deep inside her."  
Stelle quickly tossed away her heavy thoughts, let the wispy wind lift her broom up, and smiled.  
"But still, as long as Stelle keeps positive, everything will succeed! To Sweetopia, let's save the day!"  
The three inside the house have all crowded towards the low window at this time, all of them struggling against each other, yet managing to get decent views.

"I think she just said something about saving the day..." Ruby mentioned.  
"In Sweetopia." Pepper added.  
"I wish I had a theme song..." Bianca said nervously, trying to cover the nerves she felt.  
"Aww, we can make you one!" Ruby happilly grabbed Bianca's hand and pulled her in the direction of the recording equipment in her closet.  
She pulled out a microphone and a bunch of fancy equipment.  
"Here you go!" She said, turning around with a smile.  
Pepper suddenly poked Ruby on the shoulder.  
"Hm?" Ruby squeaked as she opened her eyes.  
Pepper pointed to the door in the corner, which had been opened and was slowly closing.  
"Wait, Bianca?"  
Ruby got up and scurried to the door. Bianca was running away outside, down the stairs and across the pastel cube-tile path.  
"Bianca, where are you going?" Ruby shouted. Pepper ran out as well. "You didn't even get to eat my breakfast yet, Bianca!"  
"Stelle!" Bianca cupped her hands and shouted above.  
"Stelle, I'm sorry... I'm sorry I created the monster!"  
Stelle didn't seem to hear her and kept soaring on her broom, leaving Bianca running in full force to catch up.  
"Stelle, I want you to tell me how to defeat it! So I can defeat it myself!" Bianca shrieked.  
"Bianca, what are you saying?" Pepper’s voice came from behind.  
Bianca slowed down to a stop and crouched down to her knees, panting exhaustedly.  
"I'm the one... who created it." She said breathlessly. "That means that I have to be the one to defeat it... all by myself. I have to..."  
"Are you nuts?" Pepper said. "It's dangerous, and you can't even control your magic!"  
Bianca stood up straight to look back at Pepper. Her eyes were big with seriousness.  
Pepper was a bit rough, yet she was showing genuine concern. Bianca could feel her concern. There was something that she was wondering.  
"Pepper, I've been wondering this for a while." Bianca started saying quietly. "You said... that I had magic. Do I really? Do I really have magic?"  
Pepper, looking at Bianca with the same gaze reflecting back, nodded slowly.  
"Yes." She said. "Yes you do, Bianca. I've seen your magic with my own eyes."  
By this time, Stelle had paused midair in the distance to snack on a donut. Stelle eating breakfast gave Bianca and the others more time to catch up.  
"To be honest, the legend I talked about last night..." Pepper started.  
Bianca's eyes expanded and became galaxies. That's right, the legend. It couldn't be!  
"I think the legend is true. You have the powers, Bianca."  
Bianca clutched her hand to her chest and looked down at herself. That fact would mean that the very hand she was clutching had power running through it.  
"I'm powerful...?" Bianca asked herself. The side that was responding couldn't believe it either. All through her life, Bianca had never even dreamed of being important.  
"But that means... I might destroy this world." Bianca spoke clearly to Pepper. "I'm a bad person. I have to get out of here!"  
Pepper put her hand on Bianca's shoulder and gave her the purest look she had ever seen from her.  
"No. Stay." She said.  
Bianca's breath caught in her throat.  
"Bianca, you are in no way a bad person." Pepper spoke.  
"But I-" Bianca started.  
"You have the legendary powers, which means your heart is filled with whimsy." Pepper said. "If you're a good person, the whimsy in your heart will spread. With all the whimsy you have, you could potentially even bring peace to this world."  
"I... can?" Bianca mumbled. "But... how can I do that? And what is 'whimsy'?"  
"The details run a little deep..." Pepper said. "But this world currently isn't a hundred percent at peace. Whimsy is something that can't be explained, because it's something you feel in your heart. Your heart will tell you what whimsy is... eventually."  
Bianca could see Pepper starting to turn red. It really wasn't like her to ramble on about peace and hearts.  
Bianca still had one more question.  
"But the monster I created. Can I defeat it myself?" Her voice came out shaky, yet clear.  
Pepper quickly shook her head, which brought Bianca's spirit down.  
"Your magic is much too uncontrollable at this point." She was blunt. "There's no way."  
Bianca looked at Pepper. Right before Pepper’s eyes, Bianca had suddenly undergone a full transformation. The bumbling, panicking, crying girl he had first met... now had courage burning in her opalescent eyes. Her face was filled with determination.  
"Y-you told me I had the power." Bianca said softly. "So I'll just f-find a way."  
In the distance, Stelle was still floating midair. Bianca took off running after her.  
"Bianca, wait!" Pepper followed.  
"Stelle, you don't have to fight anymore... it's all my fault, and I should end it!" Bianca shouted above.  
Stelle started mumbling something into the air, and at the right moment she spread her arms open. Suddenly the air opened up.  
It was an unexplainable vision, the air opening up.  
Soon enough, the quick-moving witch girl was soaring through an in-between world, which was a very speedy way to travel between two points in space.  
The in-between world was constantly different each and every moment, and any debris from surrounding realms could latch into it and make an appearance.  
Stelle was rather used to all the various-world debris that would fly around, but every so often there would be something that would freak her out. Like the haunted pants that sang opera and told limericks.  
The "background" in this place was shifting through so many shapes and colors now.  
The first sight that Stelle was greeted by was a carrot with arms and legs, acting like a mime. A giant floating baby head tumbled around in the air with several oilcans.

 

"Baloney!" It said.  
The entire place became a pinball field!  
By this time, Bianca, Pepper, and Ruby were all entering into the freaky portal. The three were launched from a corner and went shooting through the field as if they were pinballs.  
Bianca was shrieking almost to the point of tears- again. Except it was so unstable in the portal, Bianca's tears became roast beef and fell out of her eyes.  
"I AM THE SCREAMING ROAST BEEF!" The roast beef bellowed.  
Pepper’s fingers became little cats. They started meowing an a cappella of Beethoven's "Fur Elise".  
A sad alarm clock got attacked by fat cats riding on top of sombreros.  
A donut shark swam out of a cheese block and started singing "This Girl Is On Fire". Bianca soon realized there was a fire starting in her heart. She was getting heartburn and badly needed some Tums.  
Luckily, some antacids emerged from Pepper’s nose. Right when Bianca was about to chew them, they started to sing and dance.  
"Because you know we're all about that base, 'bout that base, no acid!" They sang. "We make your tummy feel better by neutralizing the acidic pH in your stomach with bases!"  
"Alkaline!" A red antacid sang in a high-pitched opera voice.  
"Why is everything singing in here?" Pepper asked. But her words came out in Portuguese.  
A round cat rolled past them and started talking.  
"I am the pinball cat!"

"Help us, pinball cat!" Bianca said, cutting off the feline's song. "How do we get out of here?"  
"Make a contract with me and I'll show you how." Pinball cat squeaked.  
"Alright!" Bianca said.  
A piece of paper appeared.  
"By signing this contract, you hereby declare that you, Bianca Luna, will give me your sole."  
"Bianca, stop!" Pepper said. "Pinall cat wants your soul!"  
"No Pepper, he just wants the soles of my feet!" Bianca said. "Well, I'm going to tell you right now, I'm never gonna give 'em up!"  
Suddenly, eighties music started playing.  
"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down!" Bianca sang to her soles, "Never gonna run around in dessert with you!"  
"But it's really fun to run around in dessert barefoot." Ruby said.  
Suddenly a wild MAGIC MAN appeared!  
"I AM A MAGIC MAAAN!" He sang.  
Magic Man used MAGIC. It was super effective and pinball cat became a real boy. He flew off to Neverland, and got noticed by senpai. And the day was saved once again thanks to the Powerpuff Girls.  
"Thank you magic man!"  
Suddenly the portal burped, and Bianca, Pepper and Ruby came flying out.  
The warp finally ended, the three dizzy teens collapsed onto hard gobblestone.  
"Oof!"  
"...Oh no."  
Pepper immideaty recognized this place, and so did Bianca after a few seconds.  
Swirly taffy hills, candy-cane trees. In the distance, an extremely familiar-looking sweets castle...  
"I'm back!? This is Sweetopia!" She looked around, her resonant voice was bouncing off the gelatinous surfaces around. She didn't know how to react.  
Pepper was initially trying to get away from her irritating home. But now, after what was already the dysfunctional trip of a lifetime, she was back.  
Pepper didn't directly admit it, as she didn't know how, but she felt legitimate concern for Bianca, who was so timid.  
Bianca wafted her gaze around as well. She remembered the smell of the sweets all around, even the shape of the castle where she met Pepper and everything from there started.  
She had been through so much, that even though this wasn't even home, it still felt enough like a "welcome back". Just enough...

"I'm back home... kind of." Pepper said.  
"Wow, really? I never ever expected you to come from a place like this!" Ruby looked around.  
She slowly went up to a cocoa puff tree.  
"Wow! Just like I heard, everything in Sweetopia IS made out of sweets!" Ruby did an little dance around all the candy plants. "How is this even possible?"  
"Well, does logic even matter when we're in a place like this?" Pepper remarked.  
"Oh yeah. I guess you're right."  
"Um, Ruby?" Bianca suddenly said.  
"Yeah?"  
"I still kind of want to have a theme song."

Several blocks north of the castle, was the racetrack where Sweets Racers would race each other; right where Stelle seemed to be heading.  
Sweets Racers never lived too far away from the tracks, but Flannery was possibly the farthest away. She had to roll all the way there in a wheelchair, making the wheels move with only her little arms. Nobody would push her, she was all alone.  
Little Flannery was now back home. Anise had managed to sneak up and follow her all the way back there, planning on slowly destroying the girl's chances of ever feeling happy.  
Flannery parked her wheelchair in her planning station, looking over to see if the blueprints of her current car were really as good as they could be.  
Anise and Zircon of course were hiding, in the cream puff bushes behind Flannery's house.  
Anise felt stealthy, sneaky, and awesome hiding like this. Maybe she could even redeem her reputation as "bumbling witch".

"Anise", Zircon then whispered.  
"Shut it, you're whispering too loud!" Anise shushed, ultimately louder than Zircon.  
"But Anise... Exactly what kind of plan do you have in mind?" Zircon murmured quiet like a mouse.  
Everything felt silent as both of them felt frankly... stupid.  
"Umm..." Anise said.  
"But hey! The best plans are always known for coming to you right on the spot!", she made a gesture, almost believing her statement...  
"...I think."  
Suddenly, the door opened and the small little flan girl rolled outside, humming in a breathy tone.  
"Eyaah!" Anise tried her best to try to disguise Zircon and his cream-colored hat as one of the cream puffs.  
The glare from Zircon's sunglasses gave everything away, though.  
"Cream puffs... usually don't sparkle." Flannery said to herself, as she shifted herself over towards the bush.  
"We're totally done for, smart one." Anise murmured in rage. "This wouldn't be happening if you decided to not wear those stupid sunglass thingies!"  
Flannery already saw Anise and Zircon.  
"...Mind telling me what you are doing here?" The small girl tried sounding serious and intimidating, but it was only clear that she was the intimidated one.

Anise shook for a second.  
"Well..." she flashed a discreet wink to Zircon.  
"Oh brother." Zircon responded.  
"You see, we've been interested in recruiting... people... like you... to defeat the... EVIL STELLE!"  
Flannery raised one eyebrow and crossed her small arms.  
"Whoa! How do you do that?" She seemed excited.  
Zircon seemed amazed that the plan worked out. Anise shut his mouth.  
"And... You can do anything if you can put your mind to it!" Anise forced herself to bounce around, as if she were really meaning it. "You can so be the amazing hero! I can feel it in you!"  
Flannery was smiling a big, inspired grin.  
"R-really?" she said in a tone of thanks and disbelief.  
"Y-YEAH! Really!" Anise gave a forced cheer.  
"Thank you..." Flannery reached beyond her wheelchair and hugged Anise.  
Anise patted little Flan on the head, but this time it didn't feel forced, and it wasn't even part of her fake act. In fact, she almost felt... grateful she made someone feel this way, especially a little girl bound to a wheelchair.  
"I'm sorry Flan... but I was the evil one, what would you think of me then?"

"I sense that darn Anise is up to no good again!" Stelle had perched on the highest tip of Candy's castle, where she had an incredible, picturesque view of almost all of Sweetopia.  
She casually ripped off a small gumdrop from the edge of the castle and tossed it into her mouth.  
"Stelle, what do you think you're doing?" Silverbell the ferret said in a kitten voice.  
"Hungry." Stelle replied with just one word, and compulsion led to toss another gumdrop in her mouth, along with a bit of the chocolate lining.  
"You're DEFACING a castle of the royals!" Silverbell yelled. "Don't you know how much trouble that can get you in!?  
"Really? This is the VERY TOP of the castle which nobody ever sees, and all I'm eating is tiny morsels!" Stelle groaned. "Since I'm this hungry, and the castle is made of freaking SWEETS, it should be a perfectly practical idea to use this to my benefit."  
"Stop using big words to sound smart and thoughtful!" Silverbell hissed.  
"This is how I normally speak, Silverbrain! I'm flattered you think it makes me sound thoughtful!"  
Stelle and Silverbell continued to yell, when Candy, from two stories down heard it, and wondered what could possibly be happening from the very top of her castle.  
She flew up the flight of graham cracker stairs until he reached the top floor. The yelling came from directly above.  
Candy's sharp nose could immediately detected that gumdrop number #92272 and gumdrop number #200818 had been eaten!  
She also sniffed out that about .2 oz of chocolate had also disappeared!  
Candy's happy smiley face faded until it was full of heavy seriousness.  
She pulled out a glowing candy cane saber and did a flip out the tall window, as the surrounding scented air lifted her up by her light, flowing crepe vest.  
The wind pushed her above the surface of the castle, where she did a flew flips to regulate his body position.  
Candy landed perfectly right in front of Stelle in a stealthy pose, on the tip-top of an ice cream cone on the edge of the castle. She bore an intimidating, full-of-seriousness look... then suddenly, Candy remembered how CLUMSY she was, and immediately slipped off the cone, and tumbled far down...  
Stelle's heroic ways kicked in, she gasped, and as fast as she could, she hopped on her broomstick and flung herself off the edge, and dove down to save Candy...  
But alas, they both ended up crashing right into a pot of brewing hot chocolate that a peanut butler was making.  
"Well... at least I saved you." Stelle said weakly to Candy. "Wait a minute... was I the one originally saving you, or we're you saving me? Because I kinda forgot..."  
"I forgot too." Candy scratched her head and smiled her charmingly awkward grin. "Give me a few moments to recollect myself..."  
The two thought, and within a few seconds, Stelle finally said...  
"Ah! I remember!", and Candy suddenly remembered too. The bad things, though.  
She pulled her candy saber back out.  
"You were trying to eat my castle!"  
"But I STILL saved you!" Stelle yelled.  
The peanut butler was blankly staring the whole time.  
"...I really need some sleep." he shook his head and said.


	11. Chapter 11

"I'm Magical Star Messenger Stelle, one of the Whimsica Royals!" Stelle held her head high and crooned.  
"You're... what?" Candy looked flabbergasted. "This is no way for a royal to act!"  
"Well, you don't act like a princess either, always dancing around like you're full of dancing Milk Duds!"  
"At least I don't try to eat your castle!" Candy yelled.  
"The one I live in doesn't taste good anyway!" Stelle shouted.

 

After a few more comebacks, however, the two eventually made up.  
"I'm sorry, Princess Candy. My sweet tooth is kinda unstoppable." Stelle said coyly.  
"I understand." Candy said with a forgiving smile. "It's often really hard for me to not eat my own castle, haha!"  
They laughed.  
"We got off to a rocky road start, didn't we?" Candy said. "But I heard, under a rocky road shell, is always the sweetest vanilla!"  
"I'm sorry. You seem like a nice friend, Candy." Stelle said. "Anyway, we have to protect your precious town from a monster. You see, I tracked it's presence here. I came here all the way from Shapeton. It's been a really hectic past couple of days."  
"Wait, a monster!?" Candy appeared shocked.  
"It's a long story," Stelle explained, "But since the creature was made from negativity, happiness and kindness should be able to stop it..."  
Stelle looked in the distance and saw the ice cream mountains.  
"That's it, I have an idea!" Stelle said. "We'll go around town selling ice cream! That will spread tons of happiness, so much that the monster will vaporize back into flan! Also, my enemy Anise will never mess with Sweetopia again!"  
"That's great!" Candy said. "I love the idea! Can I help?"  
"Certainly! But do you know where I can find any ice cream trucks to ride in?" Stelle asked.  
"Hmm... in the basement would be my old ice cream truck from when I was a rebel." Candy answered.

Pepper saw sparks of light coming out of one of the windows in the castle.  
"It's gotta be the monster." She said, impulsively and almost too sure of herself. "Stelle should be following it. Come on Bianca, we'll all help. We'll all defeat it together."  
Bianca felt a strange feeling in her heart. It was a warm feeling. Pepper grabbing her hand and running forward with her, Ruby hugging her from behind. The word 'together' lingering in her ears...  
Maybe, she thought, this is the feeling I've always wanted to feel. The feeling of friendship?

Ruby dashed forward and opened the towering castle doors.  
"Let's go, Bianca! This is exciting!" She said.  
Back in the castle they went.  
They looked everywhere around the castle, and soon enough all the chilling anticipation and determination wore off. They kept looking, high and low, in the nooks and crannies for Stelle, and/or anything resembling a monstrous flan lion. They couldn't find anything. Bianca and Ruby soon found that the castle had a very strange sort of structure, as certain places had spiral staircases that never seemed to end. Some doors had elevators to lead one upstairs, some had tall, thin ladders, and a lot of rooms were even set apart from monkey bars and jungle gyms.  
It took a lot of stealth to get across even a few rooms! Bianca instantly was worn and tuckered out, now giving in to the booby traps scattered across one hallway.  
"Cool!" Ruby said, "Pixie Stick train tracks!" She didn't seem to be bothered at all.  
"Pepperrr!" Bianca shouted, dizzy, as she clumsily was looping and whirling around on a oddly-placed spinning platform. She had no energy to stand up straight.  
"H-how do you live in this p-place? Wh-what is the easiest way to get around without the obstacles?!"  
Pepper sighed, grabbing Bianca's sides with both her firm hands and gently pulling her off of the platform. She still seemed uncomfortable with looking her directly in the eye. She pulled Bianca back on the ground with her normal expression.  
"One of the many reasons I want to be out of here." She said, referring to the endless shenanigans. "Believe it or not, I've been raised on fourteen years of it. I'm used to this.  
Pepper walked ahead, almost stoically. Bianca watched him. She was feeling a little suprised, now that she knew they the same age. She would've sworn Pepper was at least a somewhat older than fourteen...  
Ruby, who was a year younger, was meanwhile acting like an immature puppy in an aisle full of chew toys.

"What's this?"

"Hey, what would happen if I touched this?"

"That's so cool! Can I BREAK it and examine the chemical structure?"

"Woooow! A gummy toilet!"

Annoyance bubbled up in Pepper.  
"Ruby, what has gotten into you?" She asked.  
"Sorry." Ruby said. "I've never been out of Shapeton and... I'm sorry. I got carried away with being excited." She bowed in apology.  
Pepper took the apology.  
"All right, Ruby." She said. "Just don't act like that aga-"  
Ruby was suddenly in the bathroom, back to her old exploding self.  
"NO! Just, don't touch that!" Pepper yelled. "That's the bubble jacuzzi, and it's malfunctioning, YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK THINGS!"  
Before Pepper could finish her loud sentence, the young girl curiously flicked the button on...  
Uh-oh.  
A torrent of spraying bathwater exploded all over the room. Mounds and mounds of big, pink candy bubbles soon followed, towering over everything in an instant.  
Bianca yelled as the downpour splashed down her, and everywhere, instantly soaking her. She had to tuck her head away to even breathe.  
The bathroom, filled with crystal candy surfaces, began to dissolve.  
Soon, the water and everyone got sucked down into a hole that dissolved in the back wall.

Meanwhile...  
"I want to help you beat the evil Stelle..." Flan confessed, "But I... can't. I'm sorry. I have no useful qualities. I can't even walk..."  
"Wait, no!" Anise was feeling slightly torn apart at the little girls' words. "Don't say that! I saw all your blueprints and stuff, they look so complicated. You must be a genius!"  
"I'm not." Flan said. "I can't even build a go-cart that runs. My dreams are so, so far away..." Tears came in the girl's eyes and she tucked her head away.  
Dreams. One thing Anise hated. Hearing the word dream made her remember... something. Something that softened her hard heart, just a little.  
"Mind if you tell me about them?" Anise said, after a pause of silence. "Your dreams."  
Flan looked up at Anise with big emotional eyes. Anise bent down to Flan's level and looked her in the face, ready to listen.  
"Well... I've always wanted to be a racer, like my papa." Flan started, "His name was Brûlée Flanagan, he was a roller-skating olympic champion. He was so, so cool. I've always wanted to follow in his footsteps, but..."  
Flan couldn't contain her tears anymore.  
"One day, he was t-teaching me how to roller-skate and... we went too fast and g-got in an accident. My papa... passed away... and I my legs got paralyzed. I can't walk anymore so I have to be in th-this stupid wheelchair. My mama, Mille-Feuille, said I could still race in a race-car, but since papa died we had no money to afford one. So I tried and tried to build my own from scratch... and here I am today. I-I just want to be a racer. I want to keep my papa and his memory alive..."  
Zircon started crying bitterly and hid behind the cream puffs. Anise gave Flan a huge hug and let her release all her pain.  
Behind the cream puffs, Anise hugged Zircon. She led him out from behind the fortress of puffs, and they both gave Flan a group hug. Anise told both of them that things will be okay.  
"Your dream will come true." Anise said softly. "I'll make sure it does."  
"Really...?" Flan wiped her tears. "How?"  
"I have magic." Anise whispered.

There was a secret room beyond the back wall. A big, blank room with a faint pattern with pastel stars and polka-dots on the white walls.  
In the center of the room, was a deep, very wide star-shaped bevel pool exactly the right size and shape to contain all the candy water that washed down into it.  
The Swedish Fish bath salts came to life and started swimming about. The candy rocks dissolved in the water, turning the entire pool into fizzing, sparkling soda.  
Underwater was a brilliant sight. Bianca opened her eyes and found herself in crystal clear shimmering soda, surrounded by majestic cherry fish, and jellyfish made from colorful, graceful threads of literal jelly. There was even a couple of gummy octopi!  
She soon felt Ruby holding her hand. Both girls swam towards the surface quickly and gasped the sweet air once they reached the top. It was like a bubbly oasis. A colorful cream soda pool! Looking down, the scenery was beautiful.

 

"Ruby... what is this?" Bianca asked. She was mesmerized to say the least.  
"I knew it!" Ruby said. "I somehow knew this was going to happen. I knew we were going to end up in a pool of soda as soon as I saw the bubble jacuzzi..."  
"Wait..." Bianca started. "Ruby, did you see the future?"  
"Maybe I did. I'm not sure. I've never recalled having this power..." Ruby thought deeply. "Um... but for one thing, I can see the present at least. Pepper is drowning down there."  
"Ah! Wh-why didn't you tell me that earlier!" Bianca squeaked and immedeatly dove back under. She had just remembered Pepper couldn't swim.  
"So she does care about her!" Ruby smiled sweetly.  
Bianca grabbed Pepper, who was drifting along underwater, and pulled her back up. Soda bubbles had gotten inside her, so she released a big burp before breathing again.  
"What the flan happened?" Pepper asked. She had found a doughnut inner tube to keep him afloat.  
"Ruby might've saw the future." Bianca said. "She knew we were going to discover a secret room if she turned on the bubble jacuzzi."  
Pepper looked around the white room. It looked rather surreal, with the floating pastel dots and stars scattered about.  
"That's great, but does this have anything to do with our mission?" Pepper asked vexedly.  
"I'm sorry!" Bianca cried out.  
"You're fine..." Pepper said, "I was talking to Ruby mostly."  
"No, but it's a nice break, isn't it! We can't be serious all the time!" Ruby laughed a bit, holding on to a pink bubble and floating with it.  
"When there's literally a monster that might destroy everything, that's what you say?" Pepper asked sternly again.  
"I'm sorry!" Bianca cried out once more and buried her face in the cream soda.  
Pepper sighed deeply, and petted Bianca's head once lightly.  
"It's alright, Bianca."

"Frosty the snow cone was a jolly happy plum! With a straw for a pipe and a cherry nose and two eyes made out of gum!"  
Stelle was driving the ice cream truck. She and Candy drove across many streets, looking to spread happiness through frozen treats! (That part didn't rhyme on purpose, of course)  
The ice cream truck even had built-in horse sounds to make it feel even more adventurous and stimulating, as if they were in a carriage, being pulled across gobblestone and graham cracker pavements by majestic creatures!

 

Stelle's driving though, did tend to be a little bit... eccentric.  
In fact, she drove the truck over buildings, and even crashed it into a breakdancing contest. (Plus the 1st place medal of the breakdancing contest even went to Stelle's driving.)  
"Don't worry about any accidents, Candy. Stelle is the best driver in the world! In fact, I'm one of the only people who can drive a dustpan! And that's much harder than a broom!"  
"Yeah right." Silverbell thought to himself, licking his paws. "You only rode a dustpan once, and that was because it made you sneeze. Plus, your broom skills leave much to be desired."  
Stelle completely ignored the words of her moody cat-ferret and kept on driving and singing.  
"Of course I'm a better chef than Hazel!" Someone down below said.  
"Thay guy looks grumpy!" Stelle mentioned. She swerved the truck back around, sending it flying off of a ramp.  
"I am the superior chef! And if I'm not, then let me be struck by a flying ice cream truck..."  
Suddenly, the ice cream truck was flying through the air, towards Chef Biscotti!  
"-AND LIVE!" Biscotti quickly added to his sentence. Luckily, the truck landed right in front of the miniature chef, not leaving a single scratch on him.  
"Phew." He breathed out. "Well hello, ice cream salesman-and-woman."  
Silverbell gave an arrogant meow.  
"...And cat!" Biscotti added. "Funny, that's a funny-looking cat."  
"I'm a ferret!" Silverbell hissed.  
"A ferret who acts like a cat." Stelle mentioned, petting the animal's silver fur. "Anyway, would you like some ice cream?"  
"Sorry, I'm not in the mood." Chef Biscotti said. "I feel like the quality of my sweets aren't as good as Chef Hazel's..."  
The chef, finally admitting defeat to his rival, hung his head in shame.  
"Um... but I sell magical ice cream!" Stelle said, "It'll give you the power to make spectacular food!"  
"Really!" The chef perked up.  
"Of course! Just give me one second."  
Stelle dragged Candy back to the little ice cream making room.  
"My magic... it should be able to turn this ordinary ice cream come into a MAGIC ice cream cone. I'm still learning though..." Stelle explained to Candy.  
"Make sure that it's specific magic to grant his wish though." Candy reminded Stelle.  
"I know..." Stelle said. "Alright."  
Stelle took the scoop of ice cream underneath her glove.  
"Miracle, magical, mango!" She chanted. The ice cream however, didn't seem to look any different.  
Stelle and Candy came back out with the cone.  
"Here you go!" Stelle said to Biscotti. "I hope it'll grant your wish!"  
"Ah, thanks Candy, and..."  
"Stelle." Stelle gave her name.  
"Alright!" Biscotti licked the cone. "See ya!"  
Stelle and Candy drove away, ready to serve their next victim- I mean... their next customer of course! Of course, right!?

"Magic..." Flan repeated. "Really? Magic?"  
Anise nodded.  
"But... won't that be cheating?" Flan asked, concernedly.  
"I'll use magic to help you build your race-car." Anise said. "But the driving will be all yours."  
"Alright..." Flan said. "There's no rules about where you get the race-car from..."  
Flan agreed for Anise to carry out her plan.  
"This is so exciting! I'm going to have my very own race car, and Anise and I will build it together!" Flan started bouncing in her wheelchair like jell-o.  
Anise stifled a smile. She couldn't smile. Not now. She would look ridiculous. And sappy. But she wanted to smile...  
"Anise, I didn't know you could build things with your magic." Zircon said.  
"With a little practice, I'll be able to do lots of things." Anise said. "For now, the best thing I can do is fuse my magical broom with Flan's car blueprint. With my broom fused in, the car should be able to work better than ever!"  
With a magic gesture of her arms, Anise was able to materialize her magical broom.  
"Okay, time to fuse them."  
Lowering the broom over Flan's sweet little car, a sparkly flash of light appeared and the broom disappeared. But the car... Flan's car looked even better than ever! The caramelized structure looked so aerodynamic, the wheels of cheese were perfectly round, and it even had a cute bow right at the front!  
"Wooow!" Flan's eyes grew big and sparkly. She rolled right to the car and Anise helped her in. The inside was detailed, smooth and perfect.  
The steering wheel was made from bended churros!  
"Papa..." Flan thought, being overloaded with emotion. Putting her hands on the steering wheel, it was as if she had been thrown into the track. She could already feel the people cheering. She could feel the love and perseverance of her dad from up above.

 

"You can do it, my daughter!" Her dad was saying.  
Flan nodded. She looked up at Anise and Zircon. A tear of joy fell from her eye.  
"Thank you, thank you!" She cried. "Gracias! I love you, you are my best friends!"  
Zircon went forward and gave Flan a hug.  
Anise smiled. She was sincerely smiling. She couldn't believe it.  
"I love you, you are my best friends!"  
"Friend..." Anise mouthed the word. A warm feeling shimmied all through her heart.  
Even if it wasn't hers, she got to make a dream come true. She got to make a star shine.

 

Dreams...  
"I'm so, so sorry..."  
Anise felt a pang in her heart when she remembered. She was going to have to turn on Flan. She was going to have to destroy the very happiness she had given her.  
Thinking of the girl's smiling face, Anise just couldn't bear it.  
But it was something that needed to be done. It was her mission in life to destroy happiness.  
Anise had to do it.

Exploring underwater... something Bianca had always dreamed of doing. One of her many childhood dreams was to be a diver, to explore mysterious, beautiful places under the sea. The pool must have been at least thirty feet deep. Bianca could barely swim down half of it. It was one of the prettiest bodies of water Bianca could ever recall being in. It made her feel like a princess. Something was glowing in the absolute center of the pool. The curious girl swam towards it... a floating pink gemstone.  
Promptly running out of breath, Bianca cupped it in her hands and scampered many feet upwards. The jewel was now sitting warmly in her pocket. Bianca was planning to keep it a secret from the others. It was now and forever her secret jewel to remind her to smile. To remind her of her budding bravery. To remind her of this adventure forever...  
"But seriously, how do we get out of here?" Pepper asked.  
Bianca looked up. The entrance hole was several meters above all of them. The wall was pearly and slippery smooth, so there was really no way to climb up there.  
"We're trapped..." Bianca said. Suddenly, she had an idea!  
"Wait! Pepper, Ruby!" Bianca called out. "When Kuma left, he had given me magical bananas that make us float!"  
"How many?" Pepper asked.  
"Three, that's a perfect number!" Bianca said.  
"Perfect!" Pepper said. "Let's float out of here!"  
Bianca handed a sunset-colored banana to each person. At the same time, they all took a bite. The banana was especially sweet, with a texture as smooth as a sky-colored parfait.  
But around the three, nothing happened, except for a low rumbling noise.  
"So... can any of you float now?" Bianca asked. She was trying with all her might to. She had tried jumping, and even just visualizing herself floating up.  
"I don't think that's what's happening." Pepper said. "By the sound and feel of it, it seems we had done nothing but made the castle float, fifty feet in the air."  
"The CASTLE?" Bianca and Ruby cried in unison.  
"Cool! Soleil lives in a floating castle too!" Ruby bounced around. "Now I'm just like Soleil! This is wonderful!"  
Ruby threw herself on her back and started floating in the pool, chilling.  
"You don't even know how to be serious, don't you?" Pepper said to Ruby.  
Suddenly, a UFO appeared from a puff of polka-dotted smoke! Poof! It was shaped like a fried egg jellyfish, had a translucent sparkly purple top dome, and an outside dashboard filled with all kinds of buttons, widgets and doodads.  
"Aaah! A UFO!" Bianca and Ruby huddled and yelled together, almost sinking into the water. Pepper just screamed and promptly covered her mouth, pretending he didn't do anything.  
The strange UFO landed on a cookie island. The girl who came out had purple skin, big blue eyes, and a gummy-bear hood over her powdery blue hair.

"Who are you?" Bianca asked.  
"I'm Gummy," the girl said. "I come from Gumdrop Galaxy, which is a section of space that aligns above Sweetopia once a year."  
"How did you... get here?" Pepper and Bianca asked in unison.  
"My UFO has a bad habit of warping randomly when the battery gets low! Now the battery is all gone!"  
"So... that means you're trapped here with us?" Pepper said.  
"Well, the battery will recharge enough to fly in about an hour." Gummy said. "The battery will recharge even faster when people around are having fun. Then we can get out of here!"  
Ruby looked at Pepper with a cheeky smile.  
"Now we have an excuse to play!" Ruby sang.  
"Ahh! W-we have to have fun or else!" Bianca urgently dove into the water and splashed Pepper tensely. She wanted to get out. Pepper gave an unamused look.  
"Why are you only splashing ME?" She asked.  
"Calm down!" Gummy grabbed onto Bianca. "The UFO only likes happy emotions, not tenseness!"  
"I'm sure everything will be okay, Bianca." Ruby said, giving a true smile. "For now, we all need to forget our worries."  
Bianca took a deep breath and calmed her shaking body.  
"She's right." Pepper said, putting her hand on Bianca's shoulder. "It's the only way to get us out."  
Suddenly, Pepper smiled.  
"Gotcha!" She splashed Bianca mischievously.  
"Hey!" Bianca splashed Pepper back and dove underwater to hide from the next splash. Seconds later, she surfaced behind Pepper.

"Gotcha too!" Bianca splashed her.  
"FALCON SPLASH!" Pepper crashed a wave into Bianca. Suddenly Ruby breached out of the water like a dolphin and brought a twister up with her.  
"How did you... do that?" Bianca asked Ruby again.  
"Huh? I don't know. I don't think I've ever had powers like that..."  
"Well, maybe you're discovering them now!"  
"Now that I think of it, when I was a ghost, I could control air." Ruby said. "But I'm not one anymore..."  
"Then you must've retained your former powers." Pepper said. "It can happen."  
"I never knew I could make waterspouts though!" Ruby said happily.  
She dove underwater and did it again.  
"Magical waterspout!" She cried.  
Bianca's eyes lit up.  
She dove underwater and came back up with a spin.  
"Mystical Aqua Spiral!" She shouted.  
Suddenly, the pastel shapes on the wall began to move. The shapes came to life, jumped, clumped together, and formed structures. Perfume bottles began appearing out of nowhere.  
"Ah!" Bianca gasped, covering her mouth. "I... I must have accidentally said a spell!"


	12. Chapter 12

As Stelle and Candy rode across town and into the woodsy areas, they eventually ran into Hazel, the chef who was part rabbit and was guardian of the candy rabbit forest. But that was a whole other story in itself.  
"Hello Hazel, can we interest you in some ice cream?" Candy waved it around the window.  
"No..." Hazel sighed sadly. "I'm upset because I got in a fight with Chef Biscotti again. I want to apoligize but I'm not sure how!"  
"Don't worry!" Stelle said, "We still have leftovers of some magical ice cream that can help you apologize!"  
"Really?" Hazel said. "I guess I'll give it a try!"  
As Hazel walked away with a cone in hand, he also thought of sharing the ice cream with his sweets-loving rabbits. Like Hazel, his rabbits were sweetivores, which means they had a natural diet of mainly sweets. They needed sugar!  
Stelle and Candy drove away off to serve their next customer.  
Soon they saw Nutmeg and Peaches, two Sweetopia residents who were always together. Nutmeg was part guinea pig, and Peaches was part rabbit. Today they were wearing matching dresses.  
"Nutmeg, Peaches! How are you?" Candy called out.  
"We're on a date so that we can be even closer than before!" Peaches smiled, holding on to her shy little Nutmeg.  
"Our magical ice cream will bring you two closer together than ever before!" Stelle said.

Meanwhile, Flan was showing Anise and Zircon her dad's secret training track.  
"You're the first people I've ever shown this place to." Flan said to Anise. "You get to see it because you're my friends."  
The secret training track had been passed down from Brûlée to Flan. It was in the basement of Flan's house, which could only be accessed by playing the secret code on a magical banjo. It was supposed to be a roller-skating rink, but it was huge, with soft walls, and could perfectly be for driving a race-car. It was nicely decorated, with lots of medals won by Brûlée, along with prized pictures of him and young Flannery...  
"This is where I'll practice driving. Maybe, maybe I'll be ready for the next race! Do you think I'll get really good today?" Flan said.  
"In one day?" Anise scratched her head. "Gee... I get that you want to, but..."  
Suddenly, Flan was driving away at the speed of light! She rode the car off a ramp, and did some tricks in the air! The car did a 360 and landed with a spin whilst dubstep noises played in the background.  
"Aaaaah!" Flan yelled but quickly stopped. "Well, um... how's that?"  
Anise and Zircon's mouths fell open. This little girl was hardcore!  
"This is what I always wanted to do!" Flan said. "My gimmick... is to spend most of the race in the air! Cars can fly faster then they roll, believe it or not!"  
"Isn't that dangerous?" Anise said.  
"Well, I constantly calculate the speed, poetnial impact, friction, and all that... so I know what to do."  
"...You're a genius." Zircon said.  
"Being in a wheelchair so long has made me feel like wheels are part of my body!" Flan said.  
"Wait, that's a great idea! Since the race is a contest of innovation, I should give your car wide wings so it can glide!" Anise said. "It'll also be safer that way."  
"Really?" Flan said.  
"Yep!"  
"Yay! I can't wait for Miriam to have wings!" Flan said.  
"Miriam? That's the name of your car?" Anise asked.  
"Mm-hm! We can talk!" Flan said. "Miriam says she wants to fly too!"  
"...Alright." Anise said.

The shapes on the walls shifted, glowed, and spun until they formed a rainbow. Suddenly everything disappeared and rainbow lights were all around Bianca.  
The void was white, then it darkened and became cool. In the midst of darkness, was a small light. Soon, Bianca saw the vision of a familiar girl.  
Clutching a torn kitten plush to her chest, sobbing... Bianca felt a pang of loneliness.  
"I'm all alone..."  
The little girl was her.  
Bianca found herself standing in a dim room with her younger self. A girl of many years ago. Bianca, at her loneliest moment.  
"Hello..." The Older Bianca walked up to the Younger Bianca consolingly and spoke softly.  
The small girl on the floor looked up and eyed her Older counterpart. Big blue droopy eyes took up much of the Younger Bianca's kittenish face, a sickly red nose, contrasting to pale cheeks. Her fingers trembled and her hands shook.  
"Who... are you?" The Younger Bianca's voice came out shaky.  
"I..." Older Bianca didn't know what to say. "I'm someone you'll meet eventually."  
Younger Bianca continued to sob bitterly. Older Bianca's heart broke. Why was she seeing herself so sad?  
"What's wrong?" Older Bianca asked.  
"Snowbell's paw is torn." Younger Bianca said. "Usually... usually Grandma stitches Snowbell back together when she gets torn, but... now Grandma isn't here anymore."  
Older Bianca gave Younger Bianca a hug, letting her cry in her arms. Togetherness resonated within them both, and broken hearts mended together, combining with each others'.  
"Grandma is here." Older Bianca said. "She'll always be close by you. Here..."  
Older Bianca took Snowbell in her hands. She picked up a piece of thread and a needle from the ground, and began sewing the torn paw shut.  
Older Bianca handed the kitten plush back to younger Bianca and saw that she had stopped crying.  
"Thank you." Younger Bianca said, "You remind me of Grandma."  
Older Bianca felt a bit embarrassed, yet touched.  
"I'm lonely." Younger Bianca said. "I want you to play with me."  
"Um..."  
"Play with me!" The younger Bianca wrapped her surprisingly strong arms around the waist of her Older counterpart, jumping up and down.  
Older Bianca took Younger Bianca's hand, slipped it in hers.  
By cheering up her Younger self, she was patching up a hole that was still in her heart. By holding the hand of who she once was, she felt like a complete puzzle, bound together by a glue of comfort.

"Okay." she said.  
"This is Snowbell, my imaginary cat." Younger Bianca paced around excitedly. "Whenever Snowbell is here I'm able to go on a boat, or on the moon, or on an island. Do you want to go with me? But wait... guess what?"  
"What?" Older Bianca responded.  
"Tag! You're it!" Young Bianca hugged around Older Bianca's waist and ran away.  
"Hey! Oof!" Older Bianca tried chasing her Younger self, but soon fell on the ground.  
"I'm okay!" She said, getting up.  
Eventually, Older Bianca have her Younger self a piggyback ride.  
"Yay! I'm riding a giraffe!" Younger Bianca said.  
"Why am I a giraffe?" Older Bianca answered.  
"Because you have a long neck." Younger Bianca laughed.  
Younger Bianca was right. When she hit her growth spurt, it was as if her entire body became stretched out vertically like a rubber band. Her legs, fingers, everything became awkwardly long. Maybe that was why her Younger self was unable to recognize her...  
Younger Bianca put Snowbell on Older Bianca's head, covering her eyes with the paws.  
"Peekaboo!" She said, lifting them back up.  
They danced together, they laughed together. They used their imaginations together. Older Bianca got to see the crying girl in her heart smile.  
Even as one gets older, all their years still remain inside them, as part of their soul. Inside, Bianca was still that little girl.  
As she did with Snowbell's torn paw, she patched her heart up.  
Finally, it was time for Older Bianca and Younger Bianca to say goodbye.  
"Thanks for playing with me!" Younger Bianca said.  
"You're welcome." Older Bianca said, taking the little girl's hands in hers. "I'm glad you're glad."  
"I love you. You're my hero." Younger Bianca said, hugging her Older counterpart.  
Older Bianca started floating away, her younger self started running after her but couldn't catch up. Her eyes became wet.  
"Tell me, who are you?" Younger Bianca shouted. "And where are you going?"  
"I am someone in your heart!" Older Bianca answered. "When you are sad, try to think of me! Just remember, you are brave."  
"When will I see you again?" Younger Bianca asked.  
"When you grow up, you will see me where you least expect to. But I guarantee that you will find me."  
"I'll wait! I'll wait as long as I have to!" Younger Bianca said. "I want you to know that you are so cool and can probably do anything! So don't be sad. And I won't be sad either."  
Younger Bianca wiped her tears and last words echoed out. Older Bianca found herself back in the room with the candy pool.  
She had done it. She time traveled to the past and consoled a small piece of her that was still crying. Now that part of her was smiling, and was now smiling forevermore.  
"You are so cool and can probably do anything!"  
"She's right." Older Bianca thought. "I had grown so much since then. My younger self loved me and looked up to me. I was... her hero."  
Bianca smiled, through teary eyes.  
"Maybe I am a stinkweed, but even I was able to blossom. And in the future... a huge flower will have blossomed from within me."  
The sad little girl inside Bianca's heart now had a hero.  
Soon, she will find out that the hero was herself all along.

After eating the ice cream (which oddly tasted like toothpaste), Biscotti and Hazelnut ended up in another cooking battle. This time, the usually high-strung Biscotti wanted to apoligize (without getting embarrassed). The ice cream maybe would help!

"Um..." he started saying, "I had some... ice cream earlier! It was good." He said.  
"Cool! I had ice cream earlier too!" Hazel did a little dance. Even though Biscotti was tough on him, Hazel always had a kind, happy, genourous disposition. It made Biscotti want to apoligize all the more. Hazel must be holding so much pain inside! Oh, the shame!

Biscotti started feeling so, so guilty.  
"Um... Hazel. I have something to say... something to confess..." His face turned red. He fiddled with his fingers, and his eyes scattered about. For once, the haughty Biscotti was being.. shy?  
Hazel was oblivious. Very oblivious. He didn't pick up Biscotti's uneasiness. Hazel probably wouldn't even realize if someone was going to confess their LOVE.

"Confess away!" Hazel flipped his pancake in the pan and winked, unknowingly flamboyantly. Biscotti gave a big sigh.  
"I want to say... these little words. They're very hard to say, but I mean it all." He stuttered. "These words are coming straight from my h-heart... so please listen to them."  
"I am sorry." Or those were the words Biscotti would've said. Instead there was a pink, starry flash of light. And instead, Biscotti said, in the voice of a TV announcer...  
"Roast beef is delicious!"  
"What?" Hazel asked, a confused look on his face.  
Biscotti's jaw dropped as if there were a magnet on the floor. What... what did he just say? He started stammering.  
"Wa-wa-wa!? N-no I meant to say... roast beef is delicious!"  
He banged his head on the table! He had said it again!  
"Well, I bet it is delicious!" Hazel said, "I'm a sweetivore, so I wouldn't know! Hey, why are you banging your head?"  
"What is this delicious roast beef?" Biscotti clenched his fists and said to himself. Oh crud! He had meant to say "weird thing", but his words had turned to "delicious roast beef" instead!  
"Ah! The cake in the oven is finished!" Hazel skipped towards it. "Watch out, I'm going to win again!"  
Hazel happily raced to the oven. When he got there, he was in for a big unpleasant surprise.  
"What? Aah!" He yelled. "It... my nut cake... it turned into school supplies while in the oven!"  
"What?" Biscotti said. "What the roast beef?"  
Hazel was right. In the center of the oven, was a steaming platter of freshly baked... school supplies!? Oh, sizzling scissors!  
"Oh no!" Hazel ran back to his pancakes, realizing they were sizzling spontaneously. The pancakes have turned into school supplies too!  
"Why is everything I am cooking turning into school supplies!?" Hazel yelled.  
"Why are random words I say turning into delicious roast beef!" Biscotti thought inside his head. Suddenly he realized... it could've been the ice cream! The ice cream that was supposed to make it easier to apoligize to Hazel, had malfunctioned and messed with his tongue!  
"Roast beef!" Biscotti cursed. He couldn't tell Hazel. Hazel wouldn't understand his speech. Every adjective he said turned to "delicious", and every noun he said turned to "roast beef"!  
"Oh, why is this happening...?" Hazel shouted to the heavens. "Oh, Biscotti... first you keep talking about roast beef, and now everything I cook is turning into school supplies!"  
Biscotti shook his head, grabbed Hazel's hand, went to the table and started writing with icing on a big cookie he made.  
"The ice cream I ate is replacing my words with roast beef..." His handwriting was slightly messy, and he unfortunately ran out of space on the cookie by the time he wrote the letter F.  
"Ooooh!" Hazel said, understanding anyway. "Maybe the ice cream I ate is cursing me to only cook school supplies!  
Biscotti nodded!  
"I'm going to ask for a refund!" Hazel said. "Oh..."  
Hazel suddenly looked back, with big sparkling brown eyes, and a solemn, patient facial expression.  
"Biscotti, your confession..." He said softly. "Was it that you liked me?"  
Biscotti winced and shook his head, flustered. That wasn't what he wanted to say... but he couldn't deny that it was true he liked Hazel. Hazel was wonderful. He was Biscotti's best friend, and all these years, he could never tell Hazel how much he meant to him.  
"Oh. Okay. Never mind, then." Hazel looked a small bit sad as he walked away.  
Biscotti lowered his head, but then took a deep breath, ran to Hazel and hugged him tightly.  
"Actually," he said, somewhat with comedic intentions, "Roast beef is delicious."  
Biscotti smiled.  
Hazel knew exactly what Biscotti meant besides "roast beef".  
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Hazel said. "I'm sorry too, for making you upset. Let's go and refund together!"  
When they were outside, Hazel and Biscotti met up with Nutmeg and Peaches, who were angrily marching in unison. Nutmeg had a slide whistle on her mouth, which made a silly sound.  
"What happened to you?" Hazel asked.  
"We..." Nutmeg started singing.  
"Can only communicate..." Peaches sang.  
"Through singing duets with each other!" Nutmeg and Peaches sang, harmonizing perfectly with each other. A spotlight came from the heavens and shined down from them.  
"Oh no!" Hazel sang, just because he wanted to share the girls' embarrassment, "That's terrible!?"  
"The ice cream was supposed to make us closer to each other, yeah yeah..." Nutmeg and Peaches sang sadly.  
"That terrible ice cream has been giving the wrong affect to all of us!" Hazel said.  
"Delicious roast beef!" Biscotti grumbled.  
Stelle and Candy had parked the ice cream truck in the park and were residing besides a fruit juice oasis.  
"There they are!" Hazel said, "The phony ice cream salesmen!"  
As Candy and Stelle were resting in the flowery patch after what they called "a hard day's work", they suddenly heard voices.  
"Shaba daba doo... shaba daba doo..." Peaches and Nutmeg were singing.  
"Delicious roast beef, ooh! Delicious roast beef!" Biscotti was singing back up.  
"Yo, your magic was supposed to make me cook like a beast,  
And now Biscotti can only say roast beef,  
You guys are so fake you be spitting lies  
The only thing I can cook now is school supplies!" Hazel rapped.  
"We want a refuuuund!" Peaches and Nutmeg sand the operatic fanale.  
"Uh-oh." Stelle and Candy took off running. Stelle pulled out her broom and flew away on it. Candy was dangling off the broom.  
"Stelle, your magic must have gone haywire!" Candy said.  
"I'm really really sorry! It's not on purpose I swear!" Stelle said.  
"You act all high and mighty, but you're making tons of mistakes!" Candy said.  
"Don't rub it in!" Stelle grunted.

The race was starting, and Flannery with her new car were sparkling with courage. She drove out into the track, while Zircon was cheering wildly in the stand. Anise clapped quietly, trying to hide a teary smile. It was as if she were watching her own daughter do great things.  
Flan looked into the stand and smiled really big at them.  
Since Flan arrived last for the race, she was unfortunately starting in last place. That meant she had to bypass everyone else in order to win.  
In the first few places, were mean girls who had picked on Flan. Once they heard that Flannery was able to make it to the race, they laughed and snorted.  
"Flan's going to be so slow, that the tortoise AND the hare could beat her!"  
"Haha! Good one, Dulcina!"  
"Flan's going to be whipped cream!"  
"I won't listen to them!" Flan said in her head. All of a sudden, she began to float in the air, getting the attention of others on the track. Light shone from her.  
"I am strong!"  
Flan's old jumper turned into light and rematerialized into a divine racing suit with lots of buttons and ruffles. Wheels replaced her feet, literally becoming a part of her body. A giant spoon appeared in her hands, and Miriam, the car, received a sleek upgrade.  
"I am... Sweet Wheels!"  
"Look! Flan transformed!" Anise said, grabbing Zircon. It was such a magical sight. It was much more magical than anything Anise had ever seen. It was all because she could help Flan, and it gave her heart butterflies.  
Anise loved this feeling. She didn't want it to go away.  
Anise had helped Flan find herself.  
She wanted to be... good. So she could help more people find themselves.

Bianca was standing on top of a floating wafer in the soda pool. She was slightly dripping wet, and the different-colored water droplets fell from her hair.  
In front of her, was a pastel void with five perfumes scattered about. Pink, yellow, green, blue, and in the middle was a rainbow one.  
The rainbow perfume floated curiously into Bianca's hand.  
"Hm?" She sprayed it, the tiny droplets of moisture were the shiniest Bianca had ever seen. They shone like tiny prisms with seven colors.  
Suddenly, Bianca's conscious started talking on it's own.  
"Your heart is now fulfilled, but it is still closed. If you open it, the magic within you will come forth."  
Bianca felt a little scared, a little shaky, but chose to comply with the voice in her head.

 

This could be the moment she was waiting for. The moment she spent her entire life searching for!  
"How... do I open my heart?" Bianca asked the voice, which seemed so tiny in comparison to everything going on.  
"Believe you can." The grand voice of Bianca's conscious, stronger than ever, spoke.  
Bianca fled her eyes and took a deep breath.  
"I can..." Bianca whispered, her whisper dispersed in the air and the sound became a patten of rainbow stars. She felt something glowing in her.  
"Keep believing."  
"I can..."  
Suddenly, the glow dispersed from Bianca's body and she felt herself weightlessly floating. The perfume sprayed all around her. Her old hoodie and jeans turned into other-worldly threads of light and reformed on her body into a periwinkle dress, adorned with stars and frills. At her chest, was a white pendant shaped like a star. Her hair felt lighter and bouncier, and had a more pronounced curl.  
"Ah, what is happening to me?" Her clothes and spirit had just undergone a transformation. Bianca grabbed the star pendant and felt a pang of wonder within her she hadn't felt since childhood. She had new eyes now, that could see heightened wonder in things, and use the wonder as magic...  
Bianca felt as if something was struggle to come from her, so she spread her hands out. A magic wand appeared between her hands, one with a star point, purple ribbon, and a multicolored stick. She grabbed it...  
The white, surreal void faded away, and Bianca found herself back to normal, which chills from the surreal locked in her. It was the same feeling she had as a child, walking out of the theater from an amazing movie and going back to the normal world. Only this time, it was many times stronger.  
Three pairs of brightly-colored eyes were once again, looking at her in awe.  
"Huh? When did Bianca change clothes?" Ruby asked.  
Nobody else saw anything else that happened. When Bianca traveled back in time, and transformed, time had stopped for everyone else.  
"W-wonderful things happened to me." Bianca mumbled clearly. "My magic... it's erratic, but..."  
"Bianca!" Pepper shouted, seeing that the clothes looked like the clothes of magic beings. "You... fulfilled yourself!"  
Bianca told everyone about what had happened. Pepper told Bianca about fulfillment. People with magic are able to transform into ethereal forms of themselves, but only when they have reached a certain milestone.  
"When I traveled in the past to comfort my old self, was that when I became fulfilled?"  
"Very possibly." Pepper said.  
"When that happened, I felt an emotion, something I've never felt before." Bianca said. "I felt like I blossomed, as if I were a flower..."  
"Fulfillment is something different for everyone." Pepper said. "It comes from an influx of whimsy to your heart. To transform without any potion, royal power, or any help suggests that a magical destiny is built into your soul."  
Pepper was talking like a guru.  
"Horray for Bianca! That's so amazing!" Ruby said, running across little ice cubes to hug her. Gummy bowed down profusely to Bianca, and the little antennae on her head bobbed up and down.  
Everyone clapped for Bianca. She couldn't believe it! She felt like she was... ethereal.  
Gummy found that the UFO was all powered up, so everyone climbed in.  
"Now let's get us out of here so we can celebrate Bianca's magical awakening!" Gummy said.  
As soon as they were out of the room, they heard a loud growl. It was all to familiar and sent painful chills down Bianca's spine. She rushed to the window.  
There it was, it was even bigger, flying with cream-colored flames all over its body. The lion monster Bianca created, and it was right above the nearby race track!  
Bianca felt her heart jump out of her chest. From the distance, she could see Stelle, rushing to the scene on her broom, along with Candy! Four people were following from behind.  
"What is that?" Biscotti screamed.  
"Peaches!" Nutmeg curled up into a little ball and grabbed Peaches' arm tightly.  
"It's a monster, but it doesn't look like the Monochrome World is behind this one!" Hazel stated.  
"Who would do something like this?" Peaches cried out.  
People on the race track were screaming in terror, including the mean girls, who were screaming the loudest. Everyone was frightened, except...  
"Monster! I'll defeat it!"  
Despite having no monster-fighting training, being small and needy, Flannery Flanagan was willing to step up. Through her car windows, she glared at the flaming lion and drove off heroically.  
Anise worriedly ran towards Flan like an agile cat, even risking to be hit with her car...  
"Please don't to this!" Anise said, jumping on her car front and yelling through the window. "Leave the fighting to me! I know how to! It'll be my way of thanking you for..."  
"I'm the one who needs to thank you!" Flan said, opening the front window and letting Anise slide in. "You did everything for me, and-"  
"No. You were the one, Flan." Anise looked into her caramel eyes. "You inspired me with your kindness and bravery."  
Flan looked Anise in the eye.  
"Can I tell you something, Flannery? The truth is... I'm a villain."  
The world stopped for a second.  
"But thanks to you..." Anise said, amongst the silence, "...I want to be good!"  
Suddenly, an inky void of solid black opened in the sky, and swallowed both Anise and Zircon from where they were. Anise got sucked through the roof of the car, leaving no indentation.  
"Aaaah!" They screamed. Their high-pitched cries thundered through the air.  
"Anise!" Flan cried. "Anise, Zircon! Help them!"  
Anise knew exactly what she was in for, but it was what she chose. She didn't want to be a villain any longer.  
Queen Obsidian was the queen of a land called Monochrome World. It was the planet farthest from Whimsica's sun. The residents on the planet hated Whimsica, so they sent monsters made out of negative emotions to attack the Whimsicans. Monochrome residents believed that life needed to be tough and grueling, and despised "whimsy". They wanted people to be raised on pain, so that they could be strong.  
But the one thing they didn't realize? Whimsy can make you a powerful person too.  
"What did you just say, Anise Sepia?" The irritating voice of Queen Obsidian flashed through the anti-gravity void of nothing but monochrome. Thunder crashed.  
"I'll fight you!" Anise growled, kicking her legs wildly. "I'm not a villain anymore!"  
"I'm not a villain either!" Zircon shouted as well, cupping his hands to amplify the sound. "I was never a villain!"  
"Verbal gasp! How dare you two betray Monochrome!?" Queen Obsidian materialized from a puff of gray smoke and looked into the eyes of Anise Sepia and Zircon Stone. Her appearance was intimidating, she was all grayscale without even the slightest hue.  
The dull queen immediately created a strong wind from her hands that swept up Anise and Zircon.  
"Because... today I learned that life shouldn't be colorless." Anise said, against the force of the wind. "I learned something valuable about love and helping people! It makes everyone feel good inside... And destroying happiness is never worth anything! All it does is made everybody miserable!"  
"That's right!" Zircon said. "I want to help the world. I want to work with animals and plants, but instead you're forcing to take them away! It's not making anybody happy but you, Queen Obsidian!"  
"Just because you're the queen of BOREDOM, doesn't mean you shouldn't think of others' feelings! Thinking of others is true strength!" Anise yelled, and an influx of shining power of Anise's heart shone on Obsidian, burning her.  
Anise had developed a heart of whimsy, and it had filled to the top!  
Queen Obsidian halted, stopping the wind. She couldn't believe what she just saw. Anise's heart purified itself.  
"Ohh, you two aren't worth it!" She moaned. "You have little pansy hearts. You're not worth arguing with! I'm giving up on you, you were never that strong anyway, and you'll never amount to anything, even if you were good! So goodbye!"  
Anise and Zircon slipped out from the void and landed back on the race track.  
"Our kindness is so strong, that Queen Obsidian knew she couldn't reverse it!" Zircon declared.  
"Exactly!" Anise said. "We are stronger than her. She doesn't want to admit it!"  
They laughed. Flan crawled out from her car just to hug Anise.  
"I love you Anise, even if you were a villain..."  
Flan rested her head on Anise’s shoulder. Anise hugged Flan back, and encouraged her to help.  
"Flan, get back in the car please!" Anise said. Zircon and I will go in too, you fly us up, and Zircon and I will jump out to attack the monster!"  
Meanwhile, Stelle let Candy down and was trying to hit the monster with long-distance attacks. Candy was quickly readying his magical magic tricks that could ease the negativity the monster was made of.  
Bianca, her heart pounding like rocks were hitting it, climbed swiftly into Gummy's UFO.  
"Please get me there, so I can defeat the monster!" She cried. This was her big moment. "I need to, because I created it!"  
"You created it?" Gummy raised an eyebrow.  
"It's a long story! It was complete accident!" Bianca said. Gummy seemed to understand.  
"I'll help too then!" She said.  
"Bianca... you're transformed and you have a wand, but you still don't know how to..." Pepper said.  
"I will figure it out! I've... seen magical girls on TV! I can do the same as them!" Bianca insisted. The facial expression she had... she looked like a strong full-fledged magical girl. She did have tears in her eyes, but they shone like polished jewels. Pepper's heart stopped.  
This was Bianca?  
Gummy took Bianca's command and was now flying the UFO out the broad castle window, into the pink, sugary distance towards the monster. Bianca kept near the window, eyeing the beast while summoning her bravery.  
Ruby cheered, but Pepper held her head in worry and glared at the floor.  
"Magical Prism!" Bianca was brainstorming spells in her head, and as she thought of each one, the magical wand glowed.  
Pepper couldn't tell her how to work her magic. All magical girls worked differently. Given the erratic nature of Bianca's it could or couldn't work. But the wand was glowing! That simply had to mean something good.  
"It's going to work!" She told herself. "The wand will react to my words, and for once I'll have control. Just for once... I want this journey to have a happy ending."


	13. Chapter 13

"I can't believe Bianca is being so reckless!" Pepper grumbled, as the vision of the UFO floated further and further away.  
"Pepper, you're worried about her, aren't you?" Ruby asked softly. "You really want her to be safe, don't you?"  
Pepper sighed and clenched a fist.  
"Well... yeah. Sure." She said.  
"Well, this is what Bianca wants." Ruby said. "She wants to be a hero. Aren't you going to wish her good luck?"  
"Yeah." Pepper suddenly smiled. "Well, she's wishy-washy and reckless, but... she's a good person. I wish the best for her."  
"Mm-hm." Ruby nodded.  
Bianca jumped out of the UFO on a high platform in the air. She managed to land on both feet, after a bit of wobbling.  
Stelle saw Bianca, wielding the wand, and gasped.  
"It's her again! But... holy moly, that outfit and confidence! She looks like she became a magical girl in my absence! So she does have magic!" Thoughts were flying through Stelle's head. For a moment, Bianca had distracted Stelle from attacking the monster, and  
"Flaming Flans, I will defeat you!" Stelle said to the monster. It had gotten a classified name, apparently.  
Bianca held her wand up and tried saying her first spell.  
"Magic colors!"  
Red, blue, and green spheres of light spun around the star-tip of her wand and flew off one-by-one. Bianca's aim was bad, however, and the blue sphere crashed into a graham cracker wall and made a star-shaped hole in it.  
"She still can't control her magic that well... but I somehow believe in her now!" Stelle thought.  
Stelle flew down to Bianca.  
"Let's work together!" She said, reaching out an arm.

"Peaches, can you do something?" Biscotti asked.  
"No..." Peaches hung her head in shame. "I never learned to use my magic to fight monsters. My magic isn't really violent at all. It won't work."  
"Me neither." Biscotti said. "All my magic can do is make food that improves peoples' moods."  
"I'm just like Biscotti." Hazel said, sighing bitterly.  
Nutmeg, who hadn't even discovered her magic skill, had a plan.  
"But Biscotti and Hazel..." She said. "Have you ever tried cooking something really, really BAD before?"  
Both boys shook their heads.  
"Why would I want to cook bad food on purpose?" Biscotti asked.  
"Because if you cook something bad enough, it'll explode." Nutmeg said. "We can harness the power of the explosions into tiny muffin bombs. And then..."  
"We'll fling them at the monster!" All four of them said in unison.  
"You're a genius, Nutmeg!" Hazel was so excited, he started tap-dancing. "Quick, to my house! I have a really old stove that makes food explode really easily!

Meanwhile, Candy frantically climbed to the top of her castle in order to give an announcement to the town.  
"Attention, the weekly Sweets Race has been canceled. Attention, there is a monster on the loose! Hide in your houses, the magical warriors will take care of this!"  
Princess Candy yelled through the megaphone, but nobody in town believed her.  
"Yeah right. A monster?" Everyone reacted. "Candy always pulls these kinds of tricks on us. There's no monster!"  
That's when the usual parfait-looking sky became dark and cloudy. Townspeople looked outside the window, and chaos started.

"This can't be! The Monochrome world is starting to target this area..."  
"No, this isn't Monochrome. The monster looks different from their usual beasts."

 

Bianca was riding Stelle's broom with her.  
"I'm sorry, Bianca." Stelle said.  
"I'm sorry." Bianca said.  
"No, I'm sorry!" Stelle said.  
"But... I'm even more sorry!" Bianca squeaked.  
An explosion came from behind them. The monster made the chocolate volcano blow its top.  
Stelle and Bianca landed in panic, and the broom magically became a parasol that floated them down gently on top of a cinnamon hill. They took both wands in their hands.  
"Hey, let's say it together." Stelle said. Bianca nodded.  
"Magical, miracle, mango!"  
The monster, as if it were a glitchy graphic, spazzed out mid-air but then froze. Bianca and Stelle froze it! But who knows for how long?  
That's when Ruby came in... flying! She was flying, and the ends of her body were transparent.  
"I still have ghost powers!" Ruby said, floating. "Hee."  
Gummy's UFO could be seen from above. Inside was Gummy, looking even smaller than usual. The antennae on her head were glowing and changing color. She shot a beam from her antennae that appeared to zap the monster.  
From below, Pepper was seen running towards Candy, who was panting on the ground from all the running around she had been doing.  
"Candy!" Pepper said. "We have to work together now!"  
Candy got up, and nodded cooperatively.  
"Fire and ice?" She stuck his hand out, giving a breathy smile. Pepper gave her a fist-pump.  
"Fire and ice." She said.  
Candy pulled out a wand, and summoned a giant snowflake...  
Pepper closed her eyes, and soon her hands and the tip of her scarf were on fire!  
"Wait..." Bianca suddenly remembered. "The magic banana."  
It was half-eaten, and Bianca pulled it out of her pocket.  
"Maybe it didn't work the first time because I was in a building!"  
Bianca ate the rest of the magic banana and... this time it worked! She was floating! She could run up the air! She could run the down the air!  
"Whoah!"  
Pepper ate his, shared some with Candy, and they both gained the ability to float as well. Candy, Pepper, Ruby and Bianca began to shoot up the atmosphere. Stelle followed, visibly nervous. Her broom was wobbling as she flew. Gummy was being as brave as she could, exhaustedly mashing buttons on her UFO's dashboard.  
Everyone was going to work together! It was something that inspired Bianca...  
"Hey, um... monster!" Bianca floated up to the monster, still frozen in the air, and started talking to it, ignoring how intimidatingly long its fangs were. "I may have created you... accidentally... but we can all defeat you together! You know why?"  
The speech momentarily distracted everyone from attacking. It was uncalled for. Very uncalled for.  
"Is Bianca going to do one of those magical girl-esque friendship speeches?" Pepper folded her hands.  
"I think she is. I think she is!" Ruby cheered.  
"Because... we all have the power of teamwork and friendship!" Bianca yelled with spirit. "When we work together, our hearts join together as one! We are determined! We have whimsy in our hearts and it will bubble up and destroy you!"  
"Seriously, what is the point of those speeches?" Pepper hid her face in second-hand embarrassment, her face becoming so hot it was singeing her palms.  
"I mean, they're just really cool!" Ruby said.  
The speech made Bianca glow, and the tip of her wand became that of a paintbrush. She swung it through the air, and all the destruction the monster caused became fixed by the tip of the magical brush!  
The brush, born from Bianca's confidence, painted smiles on people's faces.  
"Who is that?" People saw the scene from their houses. "In the periwinkle dress? Is she a new warrior?"  
"She seems more like a healer to me. But... I've never seen one quite like her."  
"I see now!" Pepper said. "For people like Bianca who overflow with whimsy, the speech brings out their confidence and emotions... which brings out their powers!"  
Bianca was going to try to use the brush to wash away the monster, as if it were made of paint. Just then, the monster unfroze and began to move...  
"Bianca! Look out!" People called from below.  
Bianca reacted too late. The lion used its thick, fiery tail to knock Bianca away. It was a full, pounding impact. Bianca was sent flying away, over the rolling cinnamon hills.  
"Bianca!" Pepper reached her hand out the way she had flown. The cry had escaped her loudly and impulsively.

 

"Oh no!" Ruby winced.  
"Look out!" A blast of ice emerged from Candy's gloved hands, dashing past Ruby and hitting the monster right in the face. The ice instantly melted when it got within inches of the lion's fiery mane.  
Candy thought that the ice, now water, was going to extinguish the monster's fire quickly. But to his dismay, the water evaporated the second it made contact with the lion's pelt. Clouds of steam sizzled up from the large beast, and the scarlet fire seemed to burn brighter than it did before.  
The monster gave an air-shaking roar, and Candy suddenly felt useless.  
"I'm sorry." She apologized.  
"We have no time for apologies." Pepper said. "Our job right now is to instantly forgive each other and work together." She seemed incredibly serious.  
A strong wind suddenly gusted forth. Ruby was invisible, controlling the wind. She was practically one with the wind.  
"Quixotic Heart Beam!" Stelle's voice echoed through, and a shock of pink flashed through the air. The monster reacted negatively to it, lowering its face and tucking in its tail and legs.  
"I see!" Pepper observed. "This monster's weakness isn't water. It's weakness is..."  
Pepper but her lip. The word she had on her mind was a hard word for her to say.  
"Say it." Ruby whispered, becoming visible again. Her face was uncomfortably close to Pepper. She freaked out.  
"Yeah, say it!" Candy cheered.  
"...Love!" Pepper screamed to the heavens, grabbing Ruby's hands. "LOVE! Love, comfort, and joy! The monster hates those things!"  
"I just realized something!" Stelle flew up close to everyone else. "This monster... is made out of Bianca's emotions!"  
Ruby gasped.  
"You mean Bianca hates love?" She yelled.  
"No! Not like that!" Stelle flung her head. "The monster is made from Bianca's stress!"  
Pepper was the one who reacted the most to Stelle's revelation.  
"Bianca... poor thing." She thought. "So she's been holding an entire monster's worth of stress inside her this entire time... and we all kept pushing her..."  
"Bianca..." Ruby murmured, feeling for her.  
"You see, the monster was created by Bianca during the swag competition." Stelle said. "Nothing was going right for her back then. She must've been feeling terrible! I could tell she was feeling terrible and I feel sorry I didn't help her... But anyway, while she was cooking, she was panicking and in despair. All the emotions went into her cooking. Her emotions must have mutated the flan and turned it into a monster!"  
"I see..." Pepper said, somberly. "But emotions alone? Wouldn't erratic magic be part of the cause?"  
"I think Bianca has that too." Stelle said. "Bianca possesses magic she can't control."  
"Emotions are hard to control as well." Ruby said. "That's it... Bianca's power..."  
"It all makes sense now!" Pepper said. "Bianca has an erratic power affected by her emotions!"  
Bianca's powers had gone wrong when she had been nervous and insecure. But now that she had more strength in herself, she had become strong!  
Just then, a puff of smoke blinded everyone. The lion recoiled the damage it had taken, releasing a thick smoke caused from the pain it was feeling.  
"Pure-Pure Spell!" Stelle chanted. She closed her eyes, spun around three times, wiggled her nose, and the smoke turned into pink perfume.  
Pepper gagged.  
"Perfume? I'd rather it be smoke!"  
"Come on, Pepper." Candy pat his back hard. After a few pats, it began to hurt. It wasn't Candy's hand. It was a claw. The lion's massive claw.  
"Candy!" Pepper yelled. Candy was being hit to the side by the massive paw, which was now threatening to poke its large claws into Pepper's flesh.  
She held her hands to her face and screamed. Flames shot from around his body, distracting the beast. Pepper escaped, but when he looked back, she could see that she had added to the flames and made the monster stronger.  
The monster knocked Glitter's UFO away with its tail as if it were a toy. It knew exactly where Ruby was and was determined to defeat her.  
Stelle flew up high on her broom. She was no good at defending, or close-combat attacks. She had to stay on the side. Her only attacks were long distance.  
Under her aggressive outer shell, Stelle was a girl who was afraid to fight. But she knew she had to do it. Her friends were in trouble!  
Stelle gasped a full breath of sweet, sugary air, and was about to cry out her most powerful (yet dangerous) spell, but suddenly...  
"MY NAME IS BIANCA, AND I LIKE TO PET KITTENS!"  
A loud voice rang over the air, sounded like it came from a god.  
No way.  
"I'm stuck in this strange world, without any mittens!"  
Stelle's mouth fell open, and she turned towards the rainbow light. In the midst of it, shining so ethereally, was Bianca's figure, standing tall, welding her wand with utmost confidence.  
"Like a girl in a story someone had written..."  
Bianca moved her arms delicately in the air, and the resulting light blinded the lion and made it cower.  
"To this world, to all my friends, I am heavily smitten! And your negativity will be overwritten!"  
Bianca's entire body turned to light, which dispersed forward in the most beautiful psychedelic patterns anyone had ever seen. The lion gave its dying cry, curled up into a ball, and transformed into a giant piece of flan. The flan fell right in front of Candy's castle.  
It should've been gleeful.  
But instead, Bianca Luna vanished. She dispersed into light, and didn't return.  
Bianca Luna gave her life to defeat what she had created.  
Bianca had gone to heaven.  
"Bianca... Bianca!?" Stelle cried. Tears sprung in her eyes.  
"No! Bianca!" She howled. "She must've used up all her power!"  
Stelle's broom instantly dropped to the ground, and a sobbing Stelle, feeling no more hope, began to plummet down with it.  
"Bianca Luna was so brave." She thought, as tears bubbled from her eyes and scattered through the air. "We all pushed her too hard... we overestimated and underestimated her at the same time..."  
Stelle clenched her eyes shut.  
"Either way, Bianca Luna is gone..."  
Suddenly, Stelle felt a pair of strong arms catch her.  
She looked up. It was Pepper. She was crying. Stelle overflowed with tears and started crying in Pepper's arms. Pepper, Ruby, Gummy, even Anise and Flan flew down towards Stelle and started hugging all around.  
"Bianca Luna..." Pepper choked out. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...

...  
"Granddaughter, I'm so proud of you."  
Bianca opened her eyes. She saw the stars all around. They were majestic and shone like diamonds and tears shed from joy.  
A white light began to glow from in front of her. An angel's halo appeared, then her wings.  
Bianca's eyes filled with liquid once she saw who it was.  
It was her grandmother who had passed away. She was here. She was an angel.  
"My granddaughter, you became so beautiful." Bianca's grandmother said. Her wings were huge and delicate, yet bold. The feathers spread out like tender warmth, and enveloped the two figures in purity.  
"Grandma..." Bianca dashed forward to hug her. Her touch was warm, nostalgic, and filled with love. Bianca felt warmer than she ever had before. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.  
"Grandma, I'm here..." Bianca said. "I missed you so much."  
Once they parted from the hug, Bianca's grandmother looked Bianca in the eye.  
"Bianca, you have made a brave sacrifice and saved the old world I've abandoned. For this reason, you have been gifted with another chance to change your fate, and the fate of Whimsica. Bianca Luna... you now have a job to do."  
Bianca eyes began to scintillate.  
"I do?" She said, quietly. "What kind of job is it...?"  
"Let me tell you something, Bianca." Her grandmother said. "I was once just like you. I used to be scared, I used to be frightened. That was when I first stumbled across this world, Whimsica. I was your age, perhaps even younger. Soon, I found out it was me who had created Whimsica."  
Bianca's eyes grew twice their size.  
"You... created Whimsica?" Bianca said. Her grandmother nodded.  
"I created this land from my erratic magic. You got your magic powers from me. I created this world from a complete accident. Then, it grew and grew... but eventually, I became too old to watch over it. I never expected you to stumble upon Whimsica, let alone be the one to save it. Your journey proved you have the right-sized heart to take care of this land. That's why... granddaughter, I'm giving you another chance at life, and I'm giving Whimsica to you."  
"Giving it... to me?"  
The vision of her grandmother became more and more blurry. Soon Bianca found herself back in her room.  
She had traveled back in time to the end of the previous chapter, before her death had occurred. Bianca was going to change her fate.

Her room?  
Familiar, lavender-painted walls and heavy shadows. A door, open only slightly. Stuffed animals, drawings hung on the wall. Her bed, still unmade from the morning Bianca had left. A slight smell of lavender. A feeling of comfort and nostalgia and déjà-vu.  
"Home..." Bianca whispered. "I'm back..."  
She looked around, and she noticed she was holding a book in her hand. It was open to one of the last pages. Bianca closed the book and read the title.  
"Whimsica Saga..."  
Bianca began to read the book. It was her adventure, her story. It was filled with laughter and tears alike.  
Bianca got to the part where she cried out all her feelings. It was the time she felt completely useless. She then noticed on the pages of the book, tears had splattered on the paper and had stained them yellow.  
"Actual tears..." She thought.  
She flipped the page. It had a nice illustration of Ruby, who had came in to comfort Bianca at that time. On the side of the page, in he margins of the book, was the picture of the smiling girl Bianca and Ruby drew together on the ground.  
Once Bianca got to the end of the book, she saw that it had once been turned in for a grade. It had gotten a big F, circled in red ink, and a note of failure that the book was badly-written and turned in too late.  
Mortified, Bianca flipped to the next page.  
"Sorry," a note, scribbled on the side said. "But I hate this terrible story."  
"I'm going to give it up for good"  
"And I don't think anybody will really miss it."  
"In case you're wondering,"  
"The monster is going to be the end of Whimsica."  
"I'm going to let it destroy the world."  
The final page was blank.  
The monster was originally supposed to destroy Whimsica, but Bianca had gotten so brave, she stepped in and gave her life to keep that from happening. Bianca's bravery was so strong, that it transcended the storyline and ended up saving the entire world.  
But Bianca didn't think the story needed to have a bad ending. It was a wonderful story. It was Bianca's story. Without it, Bianca would've never changed. Without it, she would've never made friends, become brave, and experienced magic. Now that she was given another chance at life, she didn't have to die protecting Whimsica. Bianca was grateful. Her life was too important to give up. But at the same time, she felt like she had to do something.  
The monster really was made out of stress. The monster represented the author's stress. The fact that the monster was to destroy the author's world represented that stress and hopelessness were destroying the author's heart. Bianca couldn't let that happen. She needed to let the author know that Whimsica should live on.  
Bianca began to search around her room for a pen. She found one, the ink was blue. She began to write in the last empty page of the book.  
"Dear Author,  
"You created me, and because I went through this story, I'm braver. I made friends. This is a wonderful story, please don't abandon it. It was a wonderful journey for me.  
Thank you, for taking me on this journey."  
Love, Bianca Luna."  
She hoped her words were going to be enough to be able to change Whimsica's fate.  
From the shadowy, blue room, Bianca Luna disappeared in a flash of light. The book and pen dropped onto the floor and lay there still. The room was empty, but Bianca Luna's presence drifted through the curtains and the ambient atmosphere.  
Bianca Luna was back in Whimsica. The monster was gone and the land was at peace again. Bianca Luna was to stay in Whimsica. It was her land, her world where she belonged.  
In the still, purple room, the book was open. The final page of the book fluttered in the slow, gentle wind. A picture of Bianca smiling, surrounded by happy friends, shone brightly on the paper.  
Thank you, for taking me on this journey.


	14. Chapter 14

On the last page of the book of Whimsica, was a happy ending.  
The book may have ended there, but the story of Bianca Luna is only just beginning.

It was the biggest party Sweetopia had in a long time! The lion monster was defeated by Bianca, which caused for tremendous celebration. Peace was restored to the land! The monster turned into a gigantic serving of flan, enough for everyone in town to have... more than enough!  
Stelle purified Anise and Zircon's hearts, and turned them from villains to good people. Not a drop of evil was left in either of them.  
"The reason I was able to do this, was because you had the desire to become nice." Stelle said. "Your hearts are now fully opened. I'm proud of you. Anise, I never thought I'd say this, but..."

 

Out of the blue, Anise hugged Stelle.  
"Thank you. I'm sorry." Anise said.  
"It's alright. As they say, the very best of friends start out as enemies... I think."

Even the partying math teachers from earlier were singing and dancing in the corner!  
"Three cheers for Bianca Luna!"  
A huge group of people (including Candy, Ruby, and a rather grateful Pepper) were throwing her up in the air.  
"So nobody remembered that I died..." Bianca thought. "That's right. This is an entirely different timeline where I never died."  
"Hip-hip, hooray! Her name is Bianca, and she likes to pet kittens!"  
Bianca, who was overwhelmed by all the attention, kindly asked everyone to stop and put her down.  
"Oh..." I'm sorry." Candy apologized politely.  
"It's okay..." Bianca muttered shakily. "But I really wish everyone could stop quoting that embarrassing rap I did."  
Suddenly, a loud grumbling sound came from the distance.  
"Oh, it's here, it's here!" Candy jumped up and down. "The Sweetopians have made a huge statue of you, Bianca! It's made out of cake and cream!"  
Bianca's mouth fell open when the 15-foot statue of herself was pushed into the middle of the town square.  
"I-I-I..." Bianca stuttered.  
It was a really perfect statue. Everything of Bianca was made artfully from frosting and dough. Her frosty white hair sparkled. Her periwinkle dress flowed out in delicate threads of frosted icing. Strawberry juice had been soaked in her cheeks of dough to create her (rather infamous) blushing face. Even Bianca's eyes were made from two big pieces of blueberry candy.  
Bianca wanted to cry, mostly from embarrassment. She was truly grateful and very dumbfounded. The statue looked so beautiful. It could've easily been mistaken for a figure of a goddess. Even her pose was powerful, yet pretty.  
"I... um... thank you..." Bianca bowed and shyly thanked the builders of the statue.  
Bianca began reading the words engraved in the chocolate slate beneath the statue.  
"Her name is Bianca, and she likes to pet kittens." It said. Bianca embarrassedly shuffled away.  
"Have some waffles, Bianca!" A mysterious hand stuffed a fluffy chunk of cake inside Bianca mouth. Bianca looked to the side and saw Ruby. Bianca swallowed the cake, which tasted like blueberry.  
"It isn't just any kind of cake." Ruby said. "Come here!"  
Bianca was led to a room where Pepper was talking at a microphone.  
"In order to honor our hero, Bianca Luna, we have decided to name a sweet treat after her." Pepper spoke, somewhat sans-emotion.  
Bianca's heart pounded. Not more attention!  
"Introducing, the Bianca Mooncake."  
Bianca curled up into a ball and threatened to roll away.  
"What? Don't Bianca Mooncakes taste good?" Ruby chewed.  
"I feel like a Bianca Lunatic." Bianca rolled off into the distance. She was somewhat laughing, but still overwhelmed.  
For the first time, Bianca was finally experiencing what it felt to be someone other than a loser. The entire town was celebrating her, the girl who just days ago, felt like a complete nobody. Now that a dream of hers came true, she never imagined it would be so overwhelming.  
The past couple of days had changed Bianca's life. In this strange land, she found friends, bravery, and got to be a hero. Most of all, she was able to learn to use the power inside her heart. It was the most magical thing to ever happen to her. It was what she was waiting for her entire life...  
Even though she now felt like she belonged in Whimsica, Bianca still longed to at least be able to go back home. When she thought about home, a painful feeling came over Bianca. She missed her simple life... the countryside, her mother and school... her house, even the air.  
Even after all this, Bianca was still longing to return home.

Bianca eventually ran into Stelle, close to the front entrance of Candy's castle. Pleasingly, she smiled. Behind her was one girl who was slightly taller, and another incredibly girl who towered over both of them and Bianca.  
"Bianca, these are my sisters, Lunette and Celestine." Stelle said.  
Lunette, the middle sister, had purple hair and a traditional dark, flowing witch's garment, complete with a broom that looked eerie. She had such a cool atmosphere to her.  
Celestine, the oldest and tallest sister, had mint green hair and an elegant classy look, very much like a proper princess. Her height, combined with the mass of her hair and dress was astounding. It was as if she wasn't even human.  
Stelle, the youngest, looked more like a little doll compared her sisters. Still, all three of them together looked incredible to the eyes. Bianca felt a sense of etherealness from their combined presences.  
"We're responsible for fighting monsters created by the Monochrome World." Lunette said. "We have other jobs too, but that's our main job."  
"We're guardians of whimsy. Pleased to meet you." Celestine said.  
"It's tough being a princess." Stelle said, somewhat showing off.  
"Wait, so..." Bianca started. "If monsters are defeated by people like you all the time, then why are they throwing such a big party for... me...?" Bianca asked.  
"Because..." Stelle started saying. "These people are celebrating you, as a person!"  
"Me?" Bianca said.  
"You're an ordinary girl who managed to be a hero just by being yourself. They're celebrating that." Stelle said.  
"Don't call her ordinary, that's mean!" Lunette said, pulling Stelle's hat down over her head. Bianca realized she was a joke-cracking type.  
"I didn't mean it as an insult!" Stelle yowled. "Okay, fine! Bianca is EXTRAordinary!"  
"She's extra ordinary? My, my! That's even worse!" Lunette giggled.  
"Be quiet, Lunette." Stelle grumbled.  
"Haha, sorry you had to put up with my sister." Lunette smiled, messing up Stelle's short hair. "I'll take care of her now."  
"Stelle behaved really well." Bianca said with a grin, "Don't worry..."  
Bianca suddenly remembered something.  
"Oh... I have to ask you! All of you..." Bianca said. "Um... do you have any idea how I... can get back home? Back to Earth?"  
Stelle looked at her sisters and back at Bianca. The expression on her face looked serious and even sincerely polite.  
Celestine started speaking.  
"Currently, there's no absolute way for a non-royal to freely move back and forth between the two worlds. People have tried to find a solution, but it seems the only way to do that is to be born into royalty."  
Celestine paused her words. Bianca could tell that she was trying to not to make Bianca feel discouraged.  
"But since you made it here, you will find your way back. The universe is mysterious, and perhaps a solution will soon be discovered."  
Bianca suddenly felt a heavy feeling in her stomach.  
"Oh... okay. What will happen... to everyone back at home while I'm gone?" She asked.  
"We can't tell you that. Because we don't know." Lunette said. "You'll be lost to them. Unless you said goodbye, there's no way for them to know where you are."  
"I'm lost?"  
Bianca, who vowed to never cry again, felt tears coming in her eyes.  
"But... when I casted a spell... I was able to get here... so... maybe I can, I could... try?"  
Bianca suddenly felt a warm hug from behind. It was Celestine, who was much taller than even her. She had such a glowing warmth to her. Lunette, and even Stelle joined in the hug as well.  
"Stay strong Bianca, you will get home soon. I promise."

Meanwhile...  
"This place is so sweet! I'm so glad we went here for vacation!" Kuma sat at the top of a gigantic playground, eating popcorn and waving a small flag.  
"Where did you get that popcorn?" Kiri asked. She was eating apple gumdrops.  
"I got it at a place called The Fourth Wall." Said Kuma. "It's where I got all my popcorn."  
The screen in front of them lit up, showing the racers on the track below.  
"The grand prix will start in 3, 2, 1, BEEP!"  
A candy-colored cloud of dust was left behind once the rows of cars flew from the starting line onto the colorful track.  
"Flan is still in last..." Anise covered her eyes.  
"Look again! She's passing the next car!" Zircon cheered.  
Alas in front of Flan, approaching steadily, was a sloping road of rocky road ice cream, steep and with a sharp, cornered edge.  
"Alright, it's time to fly!  
ZIRCON!" Anise screamed and grabbed his arm tightly, almost hurting it. "Flan's going to tumble down and fall! Oh, I can't watch! Zircon!"  
To both of their pleasant surprise, the wide wings of caramel jetted out from the side of the car, which started gliding in the air. A wind swept from under Flan's car, carrying it higher than the hills, high, high, too high!  
"Open your eyes, Anise!" Zircon said.  
Anise glanced at the track and her mouth fell open when she saw Flan soaring way above (and past) the other cars!  
"Anise, how much flying power did you put in that car?" Zircon asked.  
"Maybe I got a little carried away..."  
Flan's car passed through a cotton candy cloud. On top of one of the stormiest rainclouds in the sky, was a sad lonely unicorn. Seeing that the unicorn could possibly need help, Flan stopped the car and asked the small equestrian what was wrong.  
"I lost my mommy..." the unicorn cried. "She fell off the cloud, and I can't see her anymore."  
"It's okay..." Flan drove up to the unicorn and stroked its white mane. "I'll help you find your mommy." Flan offered the unicorn to ride in the extra seat next to hers. "Jump on in!"  
The unicorn leaped into the car and Flan started driving.  
Suddenly, a piece of cloud floated into Flan's nose, causing her to sneeze into a ray of sunshine.  
"Ah-choo!"  
A rainbow appeared from Flan's sneeze, extending in an arch at the edge of the cloud, and leading in a path towards the land at the bottom.  
"Ah! I can ride back on this rainbow!" Flan said. She revved the car up, rode to the top of the rainbow, but then noticed it was very steep going to the bottom.  
"Hold on tight!" Flan said. She fixed her helmet, put special goggles on herself and the unicorn, and began to ride the downwards portion of the rainbow.  
"Aaaah!" Flan and the unicorn screamed in unison. The rainbow went from side to side, sent them through a loop, and soon they were right above the track again! The rainbow ended right at the entrance to a glowing cave at the side of the hard candy mountain.  
"Wait... my horn is picking up mommy's signal." The unicorn said. "Mommy is at the top of the mountain, that must be where she fell! She can't fly back up on the cloud without my magic to combine with hers..."  
Even though the objective was to get through the cave, Flan was now determined to instead get to the top of the mountain first.  
"I have to help the unicorn," She said, "Even if it means losing the race."  
Flan was going to fly to the top of the mountain. It was going to take the biggest flight calculation she had ever made in her life.  
"Unicorn? I can't walk, okay? I'm sorry, but could you lift me out of the car and put me on the ground right over... there?"  
"Flan, what are you doing?!" Anise's face was steaming like a pork bun, as she watched the scene.  
"I think Flan is going to help the unicorn!" Zircon said.  
"Is she really?" Anise said. She felt a strange sensation. Liquid was coming from her tear-ducts? "Flan would give up coming in first just to help a friend, even after all she's been through? What an amazing girl..."  
"Anise, do you need a handkerchief?" Zircon offered.  
"NO!" Anise growled. "...F-fine, maybe."  
After a couple of minutes, Flan was able to build a sponge-cake ramp that would send her car right at the top of the mountain, no higher, no lower. She hoped with all her heart that her calculations were correct!  
"Alright unicorn, I need to go back in the car please. We're going to see your mommy!"  
"Hooray!" The unicorn cheered. She then started singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".  
Flan and the unicorn got back in the car. Flan put on her helmet, goggles, and gave some to the unicorn. She started revving up the car a distance from the ramp, and was going towards it at high speed.  
And then whoosh! The car flew upwards from the edge of the ramp, and through candy-bracelet hoops.  
"Extra points!" The hoops said before disintegrating into sparkles.  
But then suddenly, Flan's car hit a magic balloon and got knocked off of balance! The car started gliding backwards! Oh no!  
"Oh no, no, no! Emergency! This is bad!"  
Flan eyed the unicorn, who suddenly was wearing sunglasses. Its horn was shining, as if it was trying to summon power, or courage, or... something!  
Then suddenly, it happened.  
"Ain't no mountain high enough." The unicorn whispered. "Ain't no mountain high enough!"  
The unicorn leaped up, and began breakdancing right in the seat. A guitar solo started playing. Flan looked around. There was no guitar. But the unicorn was being so awesome, she made music appear!  
"Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough!"  
With the unicorn's magical singing and the power of love, the car went back on track, and landed right where the unicorn's mother is. She leapt right from the car and into her mother's embrace.  
"Mommy!" The unicorn neighed.  
"Taffy! I was so worried!" The unicorn's mother said. She had such a long mane.  
"Thank you so much, Flannery!" Candy said. The unicorn mother bowed. "Goodbye! Thank you!"  
The unicorn and the mother touched their horns together and sparkles began to fill the air around them. They teleported away in a flash of light.  
Flan, who was waving goodbye, felt tears come into her eyes. Helping someone was something she had always wanted to do. She revved the car up and made it glide off the edge off the mountain, back onto the race track.  
"Even if I don't win the race, that's okay." She thought. "All I really wanted to do was to be in the race. And besides, I couldn't ignore a friend in need."

Meanwhile, at the diner...

 

"Stelle's sisters seem so elegant... it's strange to think they're related."  
"I can hear your narration, Bianca." Stelle said. "I'll have you know, I'm elegant too!"  
Lunette began giggling, and Silverbell hid his face behind the tablecloth. Stelle, being elegant?  
"Just yesterday," Stelle started saying, "I drank a whole cup of tea without gagging from the flavor once! I'm learning to like tea! Tea makes people elegant!"  
"Stelle, Celestine doesn't even drink tea and she's way more elegant than you!"  
"It's true." Celestine said, "I despise tea."  
"Then... what are you drinking out of that tea cup?" Bianca asked, pointing to the teacup on the other side of the long table.

"Root beer." Celestine said.  
"So elegant." Stelle said sarcastically.

 

"Thanks for bringing me along for cookies." Bianca said.  
"Where are you going?" Lunette said.  
"Do you have a place to stay?" Asked Stelle.  
"I have to go back with my friends." Bianca said. "Oh, that's right! Stelle, do you think you could open the portal back to Shapeton for all of us? Ruby's house is there."

"Don't you want to stay for your party?" Celestine kindly suggested.  
"O-okay." Bianca answered. "After the party.  
Bianca went back to the town square and was greeted by a cheering crowd.  
"Bianca! You should have seen it! I won 'Pin the Snowbell on Bianca' twelve straight times!"  
"Wha-" Bianca gasped. "What kind of game... is that?"  
"A game about you." Ruby said.  
Suddenly, Bianca saw someone mopping the floor with a Bianca mop that looked like her.

 

"Come on, Bianca! They just finished setting up the piñata!"  
Ruby led Bianca to the crowd. Above they saw the piñata, which resembled the fire flan monster Bianca had defeated.  
The stick to whack the piñata was a fake copy of Bianca's magical wand.  
One by one, people whacked the wand. Some called our magical spells, pretending to be Bianca as she attacked the monster...  
"Miracle, magical, mango!"  
Bianca hid her face. This was so embarrassing!  
Finally as the piñata was about to break, Ruby offered Bianca to take the final hit.  
"Hey!" The entire crowd welcomed. "It's Bianca!"  
"The real Bianca? It's really her?"  
"I'm a huge fan of you!"  
"Ooh! Can you sign my bandana? And my goldfish bowl? And my toilet? Pretty please?"  
"And I've only been famous for two hours..." Bianca thought inside her head.  
Ruby tied the blindfold around Bianca's face.  
"Alright, she's going to whack the piñata!" Ruby cheered.  
Bianca stepped back, and began to form a good stance...  
"Hey? Aren't you going to say magical words?" Someone in the audience said.  
"Um... Hocus pocus?" Bianca muttered, as she weakly whacked the piñata."  
"Come on Bianca!" A bystander said, "Show all your power like you did that last time!"  
Bianca spun around like a clumsy ballerina and accidentally whacked Pepper's head. Her skull went clunk!  
"Gyaaah!" Pepper cried. "Fiery fiddlesticks, you're strong, Bianca! Oww..." Pepper rubbed her head profusely.  
After Bianca finally broke the piñata, it exploded into candy and toys.  
Then, everyone started dancing.  
A slow song was playing and Bianca realized many couples were dancing, or on the side cuddling.  
Meanwhile, Ruby was putting all sorts of costume suits on Bianca. She decided that the white kitten suit was the cutest.  
Bianca found the costume quite cute too. A cat-ears hoodie, and pants with a tail.  
"Okay Nutmeg, say 'aah'." Peaches brought the spoon of vanilla flan to her Nutmeg's mouth, who opened it impatiently. Peaches then turned the spoon around and plopped the flan in her own mouth. Peaches laughed evily.  
"Peaches!" Nutmeg collapsed on her lap. "That's terrible! You're so mean! Dumb Peaches!"  
"What? You don't like vanilla stuff anyway."  
"I know, but... I like vanilla stuff when you feed it to me, Peaches." Nutmeg rolled her eyes and blushed.  
"Even though it wasn't my original intent, I guess I ended up confessing my love for Hazelnut anyway." Biscotti narrated, "We're having our first dance together."  
"Do you have to narrate everything you go through, Scottie?" Hazelnut asked.  
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! He just called me Scottie!" Biscotti froze still.  
"Are... you okay?" Hazelnut asked. "Hey. Respond to me. Roast beef."  
"STOP WITH THE ROAST BEEF JOKES." Biscotti suddenly yelled.  
"Look, he's back to normal." Hazel said.  
"It's not even funny, not funny at all!" Biscotti said.  
"Then explain why you became an internet sensation." Hazel said, pulling up his phone.  
"Roast beef meme... what the... HOW THE!?" Biscotti cringed. "NOOOOOO!"  
Biscotti ran into the distance.  
"Scottie, I know you're just running away for dramatic effect!" Hazel called, "I know you'd rather be here with me!"  
"Whatever, my little jar of Nutella!"

"You know, you've changed a lot since I first met you, Bianca." Pepper approached the table where Bianca was contently eating rice pudding, her favorite snack.  
"Hm?" Bianca responded. The cat tail on her costume corresponded with her moods, and lifted up in the air curiously.  
"You have something on your cheek." Pepper took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away a grain of rice on Bianca's cheek. She calmly sat down besides her, enjoying the tune of the slow song.  
"Well, when I first met you, you were really scared. You were panicking. You didn't have much faith in yourself. You were fragile then, but now... I guess I can't explain it. You seem different now."  
Bianca looked towards the ground.  
"Not really." She said. "I really don't think so."  
"Why not?" Pepper asked. She seemed genuinely shocked.  
"I'm still scared." Bianca said. "I'm still unsure of myself. Just because people are throwing a party for me doesn't mean I'm really the person they all think I am.  
"Bianca..." Pepper said. She put her hand on her shoulder to ease her.  
"If you truly feel that you haven't changed, then I'm going to have to say that perhaps the bravery was inside you all along. Haven't you ever thought of that?"  
"I'm really not that brave..." Bianca said. "For example, I can't stand spiders, and-  
"Bianca." Pepper boldly interrupted her sentence. "EVERYONE is afraid of spiders."  
Bianca burst into stressful laughter. She realized she did give a pretty weak example.  
"Hm, I guess. Maybe..." She said. She was still keeping a few things inside, but decided to end her conversation there.  
"Pepper wouldn't understand."  
When it came right down to it, spiders were really the least of Bianca's fears. At least, when compared to the other things.  
Bianca walked off, in order to get out of the crowded atmosphere and have a solitary walk on the peaceful side of town.  
"Even I dont really understand." She thought.  
"I can't really put these feelings into words..." Bianca sat on a secluded bench and thought, "But I just don't feel like this party is truly for me. The brave, heroic Bianca Luna that everyone in Sweetopia is cheering for... isn't actually me..."  
The kitten ears on Bianca's hoodie began to droop. Bianca took the zipper on her hoodie and zipped it over her face. Her two eyes peeked out of the holes in the fabric. It was like she was wearing a cat mask.  
"Nobody can see the Bianca Luna behind the mask." She thought. "Even if I cry right now, nobody will know. Nobody will see my tears..."  
That's when Bianca suddenly hears a screaming in the sky. Bianca jerked in surprised and looked right up to the sky. Someone was falling!?  
Nobody else was around. Bianca then realized exactly how far she had ran off.  
"H-help!" Bianca called into the distance. The person in the sky was plummeting closer and closer to the ground.  
Bianca looked all around her. There was a trampoline, and a cake...  
Quick! Bianca took the CAKE, and pushed it to approximately where the person would land. They were getting closer by the millisecond.  
Hey, they looked kind of familia-SPLAT! Cake rained everywhere before Bianca could think. But the falling person was safe!  
"Whew... what a relief." Bianca said.  
"You call that a relief!?" A muffled voice said. A mysterious head caked in icing popped out from the gigantic confection. Their mouth started moving, creating a moving hole in the icing.  
"You had a trampoline right behind you. Heck, it was even closer than the cake you decided to catch me in, but noooo... you just had to catch me with the cake. Now I'm covered in it! Gee, thanks a bunch!"  
Bianca felt like fiddlesticks. Who was this person who fell out of the sky and suddenly was giving her an attitude.  
"Well, y-you could simply say 'thank you' instead!" Bianca yelled. "It would be much preferred and appreciated!"  
"Stop speaking fancy to make yourself sound smart." The cake-covered person said. "It isn't working."  
"W-well then, y-you stop trying to be tough... w-with the attitude!" Bianca said, with her nervous stutter. "It really isn't working!"  
"You stole that from me." They said.  
"Nou nole nat nom ne." Bianca mocked.  
"Wow, how mature." They said.  
"We'll, y-you wanna know what's immature? Disrespecting someone who was trying to help!" Bianca over-exaggerated each word.  
"By the way." The cakey person pulled out a backpack from behind them. It was covered in icing.. "Is this yours?"  
"My backpack..." Bianca said, quivering with emotion. She promptly forced herself to swallow all her emotions and put her foot back down.  
"Gimme that." Bianca said, snatching the pack away. "Don't get your dirty cake hands all over it."  
"Oh, and who's fault is it that I'm covered in cake?" They said.  
"Well... you're a Mr. Potato Head! Haha!" Bianca said.  
"A Mr. Potato Head?" The other person said, "That's the worst insult I've ever heard!"  
"Exactly! I've been saving it especially for someone like you!" Bianca smirked.  
"Okay, freaky cat lady." The other person said.  
"Snowbell doesn't appreciate that." Bianca said.  
"Your toy is called Snowbell? Why would you name an inanimate object?"  
"SNOWBELL HAS A SOUL!" Bianca screamed. She began to stomp away. "She has a soul! Unlike you..."  
Bianca walked down the gobblestone road, dazed.  
"Who is that person?" She asked. "Why did they have my backpack?"

Night was approaching, and the party was becoming slower. It was soon to be wrapped up and finished.  
"Cute backpack, Bianca!" Ruby said, "It matches your costume!"  
"Anyway, now that the party is ending, we can go back to your house, right? Stelle could open a portal back to your house." Bianca said.  
"Yeah, I really need to check on Shadow!" Ruby said.  
"Pepper..." Bianca was going to ask her if she wanted to come. After all, she technically was home...  
Was it time to say goodbye?  
"It's okay. Candy's taking care of Cayenne." Pepper said. "Can I... stay with you? I really need a prolonged vacation from this freak town."  
Bianca and Pepper glanced at each other.  
"Alright."  
Bianca zipped down her hoodie zipper, revealing her face again. She sighed when she realized how fresh the air was outside of her face cover.  
"Bianca? Why is your face so red?" Ruby asked.  
"Oh... it's nothing."  
Bianca felt nervous. It was probably because of the person she met who acted to rude to her. She didn't want to tell anyone about it. She didn't want to admit that such a thing was bothering her.  
Bianca went back inside the tea shop. She found Stelle in there chatting with Anise, and Flan playing around with Zircon.  
"I guess the best of friends really do start as enemies after all!" Stelle and Anise laughed with each other. Then they noticed Bianca.  
"Oh, Bianca!" Stelle said. "Are you all partied out? I guess it's time to send you back to your temporary home, right?"  
"Mm-hm..." Bianca said.


	15. Chapter 15

The sun had finally fell through the horizon. Soon, it would become pitch-black outside, with the exception of streetlights. To be safe, everyone began to relax back in their houses, except for three mysterious travelers roaming the streets.  
"Remember guys, we're looking for interesting things here! We're on a mission! Stop eating the trees, Emi!"  
"But they have the sweetest chocolate bark I've ever tasted..." Emi mused.  
"You're not supposed to eat Sweetopia. However, you can eat the sweets FROM Sweetopia." Novella explained.  
"Then what's the point of all this flavorful land?" Emi sulked. "I was so excited to go to Sweetopia so I could eat the trees and the road! I could just lay in a bed, and if I got hungry I could just take a bite from my fluffy marshmallow pillow!"  
"Emi. If Sweetopia were to be eaten, there would be a formidable missing chunk in Whimsica's southern hemisphere." Roy began to lecture. "The land in this area of the world is a naturally occurring phenomena. The chemical structure of the earth in Sweetopia takes on the form of what is known to be 'sweets'. It's still amazing to me however, that with a few alterations in the chemical structure, regular dirt can be altered to the form of cake."  
"That's so amazing, Roy." Emi eyed her taller friend. "You're like an encyclopedia!"  
A chilly wind blew.  
"Anyways, I'm cold." Emi said.  
"Ah. This cold climate is necessary for Sweetopia's confection-based land to stay fresh and chilled. If such a land existed in a hotter climate instead, Sweetopia would decay." Roy said  
"Yeah, it'll spoil." Novella said.  
"So let's eat it before global warming gets to it first!" Emi said.  
"Does Emi think of anything else besides snacks?" Roy asked.  
"Hey, that's mean!" Emi said. "Of course I think about other things! Like cats, and sleeping, and my friends, and idol duties! Do you know how tough it actually is to be an idol? It isn't all just sparkles an fun, that's only the part they show on TV! In reality, being an idol is suffering!"  
"That can't be!" Novella said, who also had dreams of being an idol. "I refuse to believe that!"  
"I thought you wanted to be a princess." Roy said to Novella.  
"Well yeah!" Novella said, "I want to be a princess, an idol, a detective, an explorer, a writer, an artist, an animal rescuer, a doctor, an actress, a scholar, a musician, a chef, a triathlete, an inventor, a competitive eater..."  
The list went on and on.  
"You can't possibly be all those things." Roy said.  
"I can too! You meanie!" Novella said.  
"It defies the laws of science." Roy said.  
"Stop being such a smart-aleck, it does not!" Novella huffed. "Besides, I'm well on my way to being half those things already!

"Before I go back, let's relax here a bit. I really like the atmosphere of this place, I guess?" Bianca said.  
The walls of the sweets cafe were so colorful and beautiful. After all the hectic things, all Bianca really wanted to do was just take in the wonderful joy of the land of Whimsica.  
It was so much like the world Bianca had dreamed of as a little girl. Sitting back and taking it all in made her nostalgic in a sense. Sweet walls, rock-candy floors, colorful lights on the wall... even the small things, like the two TVs on the wall and the fir tree and fireplace on the corner. The starry night outside the window made it feel like an adventure, a fairy tale.  
When Bianca was a child, the real world felt as joyful as magical as Whimsica. Now that she had grown, she hadn't felt such magic in ages.  
Going to Whimsica really did make Bianca feel young again.  
Little did Bianca know, that seconds from her glorious relaxation... her life was going to be impacted once more.  
Right behind her, the door opened. The bells on the door handle began to jingle and a short girl with a long blue-black ponytail stepped in.  
"Look, a customer!" Zircon said.  
"Yay, another person to play supermarket with!" Flan said.  
However, the words that flew out of Bianca's mouth were something way different...  
"CAMILLE!?"  
Everyone in the store looked at her. Bianca instantly turned a shameful red and covered her mouth. Her pupils dilated. Aside from being embarrassed, she was also in disbelief.  
"Bianca? You know that person?" Pepper asked.  
"Wait a minute..." The blue-haired person fianlly saw a consolingly familiar face in the midst of all the madness. "...Bianca?"  
Bianca bolted out of her seat, her palms becoming sweaty. It was the girl from her class whom she dedicated her journal entry to, even if she didn't seem to notice. So she ended up here too!?  
"Camille? Is that really you? W-why are you here?"  
Bianca felt a hard beating in her heart. Maybe she could finally be in a situation where she could tell her feelings to Camille...  
Camille looked just as surprised as Bianca. Weirded-out, even. Her eyes were spiraling. It brought Bianca flashbacks of how confused she was when she first arrived in Whimsica.  
"I... don't know... one minute I was in detention, the next minute I was falling out of the sky and landed in this ridiculous place!"  
"Sooo... I assume you two know each other?" Pepper asked again.  
"Y-yeah... we're classmates." Bianca said, trying to give Camille a consoling look. "But how is it that Camille got here? Could you explain more?"  
"Well... okay. I was in detention." Camille startd, "I was in the corner of the classroom when I saw a piece of paper on the floor. I think it was Bianca's. It said something about wanting a friend, or wanting to visit a magical world... and after I read it, I began falling from the sky... and landed here! Oh, and then I got in an argument with someone."  
"Really?" Bianca said. "I got in an argument with someone too! I didn't really see their face though. So... maybe I should tell you how I got here."  
"Okay. Oh, Bianca... by the way, everyone's wondering where you've been." Camille said, somberly, "Everyone at school. Your mother called the school and said you never came home. Now everyone's been worried about you."  
"Oh..." Bianca said, sadly. "Well... I got here by an accident, I guess."  
"It likely could've been a glitch." Stelle chimed in. "A powerful glitch. Your magic seems very susceptible to defying the laws of existence, yet it's beyond any control. Somehow, your magic managed to surpass logic and teleport you all the way to Whimsica."  
"...Bianca has magic?" Camille asked. She pictured Bianca having powers like a teenage witch.  
"Oh, it's such a long story..." Bianca said. "So many things happened! But since you got here, Camille, could it possibly mean that..."  
"It is possible that Camille does have magic too! Either that, or traces of Bianca's own magic was left in the note Camille found that transported her here."  
"That's it!" Bianca said, "Um... when I wrote that journal entry, I was dreaming of... something just like Whimsica. A magical world full of friends... and also..."  
Bianca wanted to mention how badly she wanted to be friends with Camille from before. However, something caught in her throat and she felt too embarrassed to say it clearly.  
"When I was writing... I was also thinking about how I wanted to talk to Camille..."  
"So Bianca's magic could've awakened when she wrote the journal..." Stelle thought out loud. "And since she had a wish to visit a magical world and make friends... a wish awakened a certain magic inside of Bianca and..."  
Steam suddenly started coming from Stelle's head.  
"Don't think too hard!" Bianca said.  
"Well it's complicated, but I think that your wish awakened powers in both yourself and Camille." Stelle said to Bianca.  
"I'm really confused." Camille wailed. "What is this place!? It's like something out of a cartoon!"  
"Yeah..." Bianca said to her. "But either way, I'm looking for a way home too. Let's search together, Camille..."  
Bianca cracked a smile.  
"Well, Bianca..." Camille said, shifting her face away somewhat. "Well... if it's true you wanted to be friends with me... that's good because I wanted to be your friend too, Bianca. I just never had the chance to talk to you."  
Bianca felt overjoyed.  
"Hey um... but I have a feeling that I need to search for your backpack." Camille said.  
"Huh?" Bianca said.  
"I... had a feeling that the one left in the classroom was yours... I took it with me, but I ended up giving it to someone I was arguing with. It was an accident. They claimed it was theirs and snatched it away..."  
"What are you talking about?" Bianca said, lifting her eyebrows. "Was it blue?"  
"Yeah!" Camille answered. "I'm so sorry. But now we should look for it. I'll take it away from that jerk and give it back to you!"  
"But... I already have the backpack." Bianca said, getting it from the seat near her. "Some stupid rude jerk person who was covered in cake gave it back to me!"  
"Ahaha! Oh boy!" Camille burst into laughter. "It must've been them! It must've been the same rude person I was arguing with!"  
"Really?" Bianca said. "I was arguing with them too! What a jerk they were!"  
"When I was arguing with them, they had on a cat costume so I couldn't see their face." Camille said. "They called me a Mr. Potato head! Isn't that funny?"  
"When I was arguing with them, they were covered in cake! I couldn't see their face either!" Bianca said. "They called me a freaky cat lady. I hope I never see them again!"  
"Haha! Wait... wait a minute!" Camille suddenly looked alarmed. "That's my insult!"  
There was a long pause. Pepper and Ruby glanced ar each other. They knew what was going on. The pieces finally fell together in Bianca's brain as well. The person covered in cake from earlier... was Camille! The realization hit her like a ton of thick bricks.  
The person Camille was arguing with, who was wearing the cat costume... who used "Mr. Potato Head" as an insult... was her. Bianca herself.  
"Oh, crud!" Bianca thought inside her head, breaking out in a cold sweat. "Camille's figured it out too! I'm doomed! She's going to be so mad at me..."  
"That was my insult!" Camille said again.  
"S-s-sorry..." Bianca stammered very quietly, too quiet for anyone to hear. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her short breaths were following the same quick pattern.  
Luckily, what Camille said next was a huge relief.  
"...That mystery person must have stole that insult from me, and then used it on you!" Camille said. "I won't forgive that person!"  
Camille was so dense and feisty! How cute that was! But most of all, it was a huge relief for Bianca. She wiped sweat off her brow, it was safe for now.  
But still... the truth was going to come out eventually. And then, perhaps Camille would never forgive Bianca!  
The thought made Bianca feel sick and guilty.  
The door to the sweets cafe opened again. Three people came in from the dark into the bright, warm cafe.  
The tallest person was a sprightly girl with wavy yellow-orange hair. She wore a summery orange striped dress under a white bolero.  
The shortest person had her hair in two powder-blue buns, and was wearing a sailor uniform with a short skirt. Apparently it was in fashion.  
The one with the middle height was a person who appeared androgynous, they had reddish-purple hair that fell around their face a ponytail in the back. They wore a long lab coat and had a blank look on their face.  
"Hello!" Bianca greeted nervously.  
"Hello. Emi here kept bugging and bugging us to stop at a cafe and get a snack." The yellow-haired girl patted the shoulder of the shorter girl with the powder-blue buns.  
"We're explorers, we swear." The androgynous one kept their stern facial expression. "We're just taking a break."  
"Explorers!?" Bianca and Camille said in unison. "That's cool!"  
"What other kinds of things are in this world?" Bianca asked. She wanted to hear brilliant stories of Whimsica.  
"Well, if you've paid attention in school, you would already know. Or are you asking about the unknown?"  
"Roy here would hate if I admit this, but we really haven't discovered anything 'unkown' yet." Emi said. Roy rolled his eyes.  
"Well... I've never went to school here. I arrived here from Earth a few days ago." Bianca said.  
"EARTH?" All three explorers said in unison. "Earthlings aren't supposed to be able to end up here, unless they have some kind of special connection to here."

Bianca and Camille both told the explorers little bits of their stories.  
"That's mistifying! Amazing! Isn't this kind of thing exactly what we were searching for!" The tall girl, Novella beamed.  
"Astounding..." Roy said. "This isn't an everyday occourance."  
"And you said you were looking for a way back home, too. Right?" Emi asked.  
"Yeah..." Bianca and Camille said.  
"We're looking for the exact same thing, well, more like how we can freely warp between Earth and Whimsica. Hey, you can join our group if you're interested."  
"Well..." Camille said, "I have nothing else to do in the meantime. Exploring this land sounds like a blast! What do you say, Bianca?"  
"I'll join." Bianca said, after seconds of deciding. "If we have a place to stay, then sure. This is going to be so... magical."  
Being an explorer of Whimsica would be like Bianca's childish fantasies coming true.  
"I want to be an explorer!" Ruby said. "I want to find it the reason I died and turned into a ghost."  
"Oh..." Everyone eyed Ruby sadly. However, she didn't take it as big of a deal.  
"And also..." Ruby put her hands to her face and smiled, "Maybe I could even meet... Soleil..."  
Ruby slipped back into Lala Land, giggling and squealing. She was unresponsive when Bianca poked her.  
"I'll also stay with you in the meantime." Pepper declared. "I'd rather be anywhere but here, to be honest. I could return to the Fire Kingdom once it's back to normal."  
"The Fire Kingdom?" Bianca asked.  
"I was the Fire Kingdom's princess. That was, before it mysteriously froze. If I could explore with you, I could investigate the reasons and figure out how to turn it back to normal."  
"Alright! So Ruby, Pepper, Camille, you three, and I will all be explorers together?" Bianca confirmed.  
"We do have enough room in our portable villa." Novella said. "For now, it's in Shapeton. Our HQ is portable."  
"Ooh!" Bianca said.  
"Yet unfortunately, I left our villa back in Shapeton. We're going to have to walk there."  
"Well, I have the ability to open a small-distance portal from Sweetopia to Shapeton." Stelle said.  
"That would be great! I can get my rabbit, Shadow, and take her along too!" Ruby said.  
"Stelle, anyone else?" Bianca eyed Stelle, Anise, Celestine, Flan, Gummy, and Zircon. "Does anyone else want to explore with us?"  
"Sorry, my sisters and I can't." Stelle said.  
"Zircon and I are going to be busy moving in to Sweetopia," Anise said. "We want to stay here with Flan and keep her safe. She's like my little sister now. Right?"  
Anise and Flan hugged each other.  
"I want to stay in Sweetopia with my new friends." Gummy said.  
"Alright." Bianca said. "I'm going to miss all of you... goodbye!"  
Everyone waved back.

All the explorers went through the portal Stelle opened. Ruby quickly got her rabbit, and everyone began to walk the rest of the way to the villa.  
"By the way, I really like your cat hoodie." Emi said.  
"Thanks..." Bianca replied. She had her normal clothes with her, inside of a big carrying back she brought. She had meant to change back into her normal clothes a while ago.  
Emi began to fool around with the hoodie. For a recent acquaintance, she certainly wasn't afraid to climb all over Bianca and touch her clothing. She zipped up the hood of the outfit over Bianca's face.  
"Meow! Now Bianca's a kitty!" Emi chirped.  
The other explorers looked and laughed.  
Suddenly, Camille's laugh turned into a surprised look, then a scowl.  
Oh crap.  
Bianca had forgot all about everything and had let her guard down. Now that she had the cat hood over her face...

 

"Wait a minute..." Camille said. "That cat head..."  
Camille went up to Bianca and forcefully pulled her shoulders.  
"You're that person! I didn't recognize you without the cat head, but... now that you have it on, I know you!"  
"Camille, what are you talking about?" Emi asked. She looked shocked at Camille's sudden anger.  
"You're that jerk who covered me in cake!" Camille yelled.  
"I-I-I'm s-sor-ry..." Bianca stammered, instantly zipping down her hoodie. She was legitimately afraid. Not only because Camille was small but intimidating, but because Bianca didn't want to ruin any chance of being friends with Camille.  
"No! I'm still mad... at that person. And now I know that all along, that person was you!" Camille groaned.  
Bianca grew more shaky and nervous by the second.  
"Camille... I didn't mean to say those things to you..."  
"Yes you did. Your insults weren't good, but the fact that you even trying to insult me is what hurts! And also, you kept describing that person as a jerk... and it was me!"  
"Camille!" Bianca tried yelling over her. "But... I didn't know it was you, a-and..."  
"Just because you didn't know it was me doesn't mean anything. That was still me." Camille said.  
"But, um..." Bianca really wanted to say something, but nothing would come. "I'm... sorry!"  
"We're fighting." Camille said. "You said I was a jerk and dismissed me as one. I won't forgive being called a jerk."  
"Calm down!" Ruby ran up to Camille and put her hand on her shoulder.  
"But... b-but by not forgiving me, y-you ARE being a jerk!" Bianca said.  
Bianca instantly covered her mouth. The words just slipped out without her thinking them through. They slipped out.  
"What was that!?" Camille yelled. She pushed Bianca back and she fell on the ground. Bianca's defending reflex was to grab Camille by the ankle and to pull her to the ground.  
"See!" Bianca said, "Why did you push me, jerk?!"  
"I dare you to call me a jerk one more time." Camille clenched a fist.  
Ruby pulled Camille back.  
"You are a jerk! You're not very nice at all!" Bianca cried. "JERK!"  
"You're the one not being nice." Camille said, struggling out of Ruby's grip. "I always thought you were sweet. You know, a long time ago? I can't believe you actually said those things!"  
Novella grabbed onto Bianca and Ruby grabbed onto Camille, to restrain them from any more physical contact.  
"Please, don't fight!" Emi looked heartbroken.  
"Look's like we're here." Roy said, opening the door to the villa. He seemed so apathetic to everything that was going on.  
"Inside, everyone!" Novella said. "Maybe a nice dinner will help settle you guys..."

Novella was serving a spaghetti hamburger with a meatball patty that came frozen in a package.  
"So, sorry for this cheap dinner." She said. "It's not like any of us can cook..."

"I thought you were dreaming to be a chef." Roy said.  
"...Code word, DREAMING." Novella answered.  
Everyone enjoyed their meal anyway... almost.  
Camille pushed Bianca's plate onto her chest.  
"How do you feel to be covered in food?" She laughed.  
Bianca picked the food off herself and re-arranged them on her plate. She walked away and went upstairs.  
"Wimp." Camille coughed.  
"Or maybe she just doesn't want to deal with your hypocrisy." Pepper finally stood up and said. It was the first words of input she even expressed about the fight. Everyone looked at her.  
"You're being too unreasonable," Pepper said. "She apologized, didn't she?"  
"I..." Camille started to say something back, until Pepper butt in again.  
"I think the reason you defend yourself like that is because you can't handle the truth." Pepper said.  
"What truth?" Camille grumbled.  
"The truth that you kind of are a jerk."  
Pepper took his food and left the table to go upstairs.

Bianca was in her new room, ripping paper. She drew a bad drawing of Camille on one paper, and ripped it right into the trash bin.  
"Why?" She asked herself. "What did I do wrong?"  
Bianca took a deep, shaky breath, and toppled on her bed.  
"I wanted to be friends with Camille... and if she doesn't like me... I don't know what to do anymore..."  
Bianca put her head down on her pillow.  
"I feel like everyone hates me... and it's all my fault. The party that was thrown for me was just one big lie."  
Camille, who Bianca had admired so much, was mad at her. Bianca had admired her ever since she saw her rescue a kitten from a tree branch, and saw how much she brightened the room.  
And now Camille didn't want to be Bianca's friend.  
Just as Bianca started sobbing, the door to her room began to creak open.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I need to edit. Bianca’s grandmother may have “created” Whimsica with her erratic magic, but Whimsica was around before she was born. This is because she was somehow able to influence its creation before she was even alive.
> 
> This change was made and elaborated on, because I liked the thought of Whimsica having ancient lore and history that went on long before Bianca’s grandmother would’ve been born.

Ever since she saw Camille Rainer rescuing a kitten from high in a tree one day in autumn, Bianca Luna had felt... smitten. She was brave, kind, and bright, Bianca thought. In class, Camille was always cheering people up and making the class laugh. She was someone who inspired Bianca.  
Bianca wanted to be her friend.  
She shyly kept her distance, waiting for the chance for a fated meeting between the two to come up. It was her fond wish...

The wooden door to Bianca's room creaked open slowly. Bianca tried to dry her tears as swiftly, but couldn't do it in time.  
"Bianca?"  
It was Pepper, kindly checking in on her, eyeing her red face and wet eyes with concern.  
"Pepper... why are you..." Bianca mumbled, scrambling to dry her eyes with her dusty long sleeve.  
"Just checking to see if you're okay." Pepper answered politely.  
Bianca lifted her arm from her face and breathed out.  
"I'm okay..." She breathed.  
"Are you sure?" Pepper asked, taking a handkerchief from her pocket and handing it to Bianca. Bianca quietly blew her nose on the handkerchief.  
"Pepper, why... does everyone hate me?" Bianca asked tearfully, breaking the silence once the timing was right.  
"Nobody hates you. Just Camille." Pepper sighed. She unintentionally made Bianca feel even worse.  
"B-b-but I wanted to be Camille's friend." Bianca sniffled. She felt the salty tears pinch her eyes again.

"Why though?" Pepper asked. "She's an unpleasant person."  
"I... I don't think so." Bianca mumbled. "I've admired her for a long time. My wish was to be her friend. It's my fault that Camille is mad now..."  
"She was being a jerk." Pepper said. "I'm not sure what happened back when you couldn't see each other's faces, but Camille was the one who probably started it. I know you well enough to know you wouldn't start a fight, Bianca."  
Bianca shook her head.  
"I started it on accident... she fell into a cake and it was all my fault."  
"Still, a true friend would've forgiven you if it was an accident." Pepper said.  
"But then I called her a jerk... I hurt her feelings..." Bianca said.  
Pepper sighed and folded his hands together.  
"If Camille's making you feel this bad, then just don't stay around her," Pepper said to Bianca, "Okay?"  
"Well," Bianca squeaked, "M-maybe I shouldn't, then."  
There was a long pause.  
"I still want a friend though." Bianca squeaked.  
Pepper looked around embarrassedly, then pulled something out of her pocket. It was a little red teddy bear.

"Here." Pepper shoved the bear onto Bianca.  
"Huh?" Bianca asked.  
"This is Mr. Sizzle. He'll be your friend. Take him."  
"But..."  
"Take him."  
Pepper shoved the bear onto Bianca's lap and began to walk away stiffly.  
"He'll be there for you." Pepper said. Her face suddenly turned red. "...He was always there for me. Now stop laughing!"  
"But I'm not..." Bianca muttered.  
"Good night!" Pepper stomped away down the hallway.  
Bianca sat there confused, but then started smiling.  
"Pepper gave me this because she cares about me... right?"  
Feeling warm and fuzzy again, Bianca slowly finished the rest of her dinner, relaxed for a while outside the porch, then decided to go to sleep. Her first night in this strange, magical building.  
The two moons and countless multicolored stars outside her window were quite bright... one moon had a bluish tint, it was big enough to see its crystalline bumps and bold, shadowy ocean-like craters... the other moon was small, oblong and oval-shaped, like an ivory pill. The light of the two moons shone shimmering light onto the nearby bookcase, stacked with volumes like "Whimsica Geography" and a few "Unresolved Mysteries".  
"Exploring Whimsica, huh..." Bianca thought.  
Bianca turned on her bedside light and took the big book of "Everything About Whimsica (That We Know So Far)".  
"Whimsica is a planet made out of the creativity of people on Earth! The fact that this planet is created from imagination classifies it as a "magical planet". Whimsica is known as a capital of magic throughout many galaxies!"  
"Imagination?" Bianca thought.  
"When Earth people dream," The guide said, "The whimsy from their dreams crosses a spiritual road that leads to Whimsica. The imagination power then goes on to build lands, ideas, and even people.  
"A Whimsican is born when a bit of an Earthling's spirit makes their way into the Realm of Imagination, which is a conceptual realm that only be mentally accessed through deep meditation of the mind, or during a dream. The Realm of Imagination is the realm where all dreams take place. It is not a physical area, but it still exists and is made of imagination, which can transcend physical existence. It grows as more and more peoples' imagination adds to it.  
"The Realm of Imagination connects to Earth as well to Whimsica. Dreams, ideas, and imaginary existence go into the Realm from Earth, and lead out to Whimsica, where they become physical existence.  
"Warping back and forth to Earth from Whimsica has something to do with this process. Somehow, by a process of your entire body and soul becoming imaginary, a person can be able to physically warp!"  
"So, in order to go back to Earth, I have to somehow make myself imaginary?" Bianca thought. "It sounds so surreal... but I don't get it. Is that what Stelle and her sisters are able to do on command? Is it really what I did to get here? And what about Camille...?"  
Bianca quickly brushed the bad thought of Camille out of her mind and kept on reading.  
"Rumor has it that the original creator of Whimsica may have been Blanca Luna."  
Bianca jumped a foot in the air at the mere sight of her name in the book's small, serifed print.  
But then she noticed, the second letter was an L instead of an I, and that "Blanca Luna" was the name of her grandmother.  
"Oh... the book is talking about my grandmother... not me." Bianca breathed out.  
Bianca turned the page in curious suspense and saw that the next page was empty.  
"Incomplete chapter", it said in a light print.  
The young Bianca felt puzzled. She flipped back to the beginning. The title was there. "Everything About Whimsica (That We Know So Far)"  
Under the title however, was a curious little subtitle.  
"Written by Novella, Emi and Roy. (But mostly Roy, because he knows the most.)"  
"P.S.: Roy is a smart aleck!" -Emi  
"I am not!" -Roy  
Bianca giggled a bit.  
"It's a book by them, huh? I guess not even they know everything..." Bianca yawned. She was feeling sleepy, but persisted to read the next already-written page she could find.  
"Four large corners of Whimsica have never been explored, because they have such a high level of danger. A person could easily die venturing there. Each land in Whimsica is assigned a level of danger that goes from 1 to 20. Lands with a danger level close to 1 have the most thriving communities, and the land is regarded as precious. Lands with a danger level close to 10 are considered unsafe and rural. Surprisingly, people still live there, but if one lives in a land with this danger level, they usually would be considered considered poor. A person who has enough resources or money would preferably move to a safer area. However there are exceptions. The Fire Kingdom has a danger level of 8, yet it continues to thrive due to tradition. The people who live there have been raised to be daredevils, so that a little bit of danger wouldn't bother them.  
"If a land has a danger level of 15 or higher, nobody lives there, period. In fact, there is even a law that you would need a special license in order to even venture in such an area due to safety.  
"Examples of dangers include wild monsters (the possibilities and species of monsters seem to be endless. A monster is classified usually as any creature who is hostile and will use its powers to harm the world and its friendly people. It is possible for a monster to be tamed, but not much work has gone into this study. In fact, where most of them originate from is a mystery, but known causes are typically associated with negative emotions, such as stress or fear.)  
"Along with the danger of monsters, there are natural "glitches" in the erratic areas of Whimsica. Glitches are random in nature. They defy the law of science... and just about everything else. The erratic areas of Whimsica seem to have power radiating from its land that greatly resembles the "erratic magic" very few Whimsicans possess. This power is controlled mostly by emotions, but when given to the planet of Whimsica itself, it becomes incredibly dangerous. One moment things could be fine, but the next moment, pianos could be falling out of the sky, your arm will fall off and start doing the boogie, and palm trees will start attacking you with razor leaf. These are examples of erratic glitches. Dangerous erratic glitches are a common fear shared by many children (and adults) who live in the land of Whimsica.  
"It is entirely possible for an erratic glitch to happen in a place with a lower danger level. For example, Sweetopia's danger level is 2. Pretty safe, but higher than 1. But the lower the danger level, the friendlier such glitches may be. Instead of pianos falling, maybe it could be cherries. Instead of objects attacking people, they might start singing instead.  
"Whimsica has two main sections when it comes to outer space, low space and high space. Low space has very tiny stars, small enough to fit in someone's mouth, yum! (however, low space stars are only edible depending on your location. Sweetopia's low stars would definitely be edible, but perhaps not the stars over the Plush Kingdom. Those stars would be made of colorful fabric and cotton!)"  
Bianca began reading slower and slower, until her heavy eyelids fluttered shut. She fell asleep, laying in bed with the book open by her side. Bianca did read quite a few things in the book she had questions about, but decided to wait until morning to ask.  
She had dreams about a space filled with star cushions. The moon a giant round bed and the stars colorful patterned cushions...

"I... I'm not going to sleep with Bianca." Camille denied for the 7th time.  
It was almost midnight. The light in Bianca's room was off and the sound of quiet delicate snoring crept beyond the door.  
"Why? Why are you so stubborn?" Emi asked, pouting.  
"Why are you so... so..." Camille began raising her voice  
"Camille, please stop." Novella peacefully tried to ease the tension.  
"Make me." Camille said, crossing her arms, refusing to let the other girls see the uneasiness in her face.  
"I can make you." Novella said. "So you better cooperate or else I will."  
"And how will you go about doing that, twinkle toes?" Camille's speech gradually got softer as her confidence was being eaten.  
"By insisting that maybe you care about Bianca. Isn't it true, Camille? You want to apologize to Bianca, but you really don't have the self-confidence to. So you become this person who really isn't yourself, because you can't-"  
Before Novella could say another word, Camille pressed her mouth shut.  
"No!" She yelled. "I mean... I'm sorry. I mean... never mind! I'm not a jerk! I just... ignore me, okay?"  
Camille walked away in a fake tough stance, feeling like she had been found out.  
"What was that about?" Emi asked.  
"She's a stubborn one," Novella said. "She's hiding so much from herself... It's right there in front of her and she's refusing to acknowledge it as truth."  
"You're... really good at knowing people's feelings." Emi complemented.  
"The hardest feelings of all to read are one's own feelings." Novella stated. "That's what Camille is struggling with."

"Why... did I have to feel threatened again?" Camille asked herself, as she wandered down the hall to a broad room where the moons shone brightest.  
Whenever Camille felt threatened, or whenever she lost her temper, she would always end up saying things she would soon regret.  
"None of this would have to be happening if only I didn't get mad at Bianca for the whole cake thing. And then again, for calling me a jerk." Camille bit her upper lip, settling on the couch. "I'm scared to face Bianca again... because I don't want to face the truth that I hurt her feelings."  
Camille reached in her pocket and pulled out the note. The journal entry Bianca wrote back in class on that day that seemed so distant...  
"I want to experience friendship."  
Friendship...  
A salty wave of regret crashed over Camille.  
"I want to say sorry... not just to her, but to everyone. I want to be able to control my temper... but how?"

Next morning...  
Bianca woke up to the sounds of conversing and tapping feet coming from around the villa. The clock said it was 10:00 AM, and the busy, colorful daylight beyond the polka-dot curtains matched the time.  
The atmosphere was bright and euphoric, which filled Bianca with energy, until she remembered what she was upset about. She suddenly felt her energy dwindle to the point of her toppling over, then buried herself back in the sheets. A really thick cloud passed over the sun, shrouding the room in shade.  
Right then, a playful knock-knock-knocking came at Bianca's door.  
"Hm?" Bianca groaned.  
"It's Ruby." The familiar voice chimed.  
"Alright." Bianca pulled the covers over herself.  
Ruby let herself in and saw Bianca's face-down head sticking from the covers, her messy hair resembling tufts of wispy winter wind, her stuffed animals toppled on the floor.  
"Bianca, are you still upset?" Ruby could read Bianca's feelings.  
"Ruby..." Bianca started pouring her heart out, "I've wanted to be friends with Camille ever since I first saw her... It's been my wish for years. And now that my dream is crushed, I feel like nothing matters anymore. I don't have anything else to look forward to."  
"Bianca..." Ruby said sympathetically. "I'm sorry..."  
"Am I not good enough?" Bianca squeaked dejectedly.  
"But... but you're awesome, Bianca!" Ruby said, trying to console her.  
"No I'm not." Bianca mumbled.  
"Yes you are." Ruby said. "And now you should say it too. Say you're awesome, Bianca!"  
Bianca hid her face. She didn't respond.  
"Repeat after me. 'I'm awesome!'" Ruby said with gusto.  
"I'm... aw..." Bianca started.  
"That's the spirit!" Ruby cheered.  
"I'm aw... aw... awkward..." Bianca stammered, looking away.  
"Nope. You didn't say it." Ruby said.  
"I'm aw... aw... AWFUL!" Bianca buried her face in her hands. Ruby patted her gently.  
"Try one more time." Ruby said.  
"I'm... aw... aw-choo!" Bianca sneezed.  
Ruby gave a little giggle. Bianca looked at her shyly.  
"Hee, it's nothing..." Ruby said. She handed Bianca a tissue from her pocket.  
Bianca started whimpering like she was going to cry. Ruby picked Snowbell off the floor and gave the plush kitten to Bianca.  
Suddenly, Novella's voice rang over the speakers all over the villa.  
"Calling all explorers! Everyone is to meet downstairs at the dining table for our first official meeting as a group of seven!"  
"Come on!" Ruby dragged Bianca out of her slump and guided her downstairs. Bianca still felt down, yet made herself content. But if there was going to be a meeting, that would mean Bianca would have to face Camille. Bianca didn't know how she was going to handle it.

"Oh no, so it wasn't just a dream?"  
Meanwhile, Camille was passed out on the upstairs couch in the window-filled art room, struggling to open her eyes for more than three seconds or even move a limb. She was not a morning person, plain and simple. Also on top of that, she was up all night, worrying.  
"So I really was mean to Bianca... and it wasn't a dream! Argh!" Camille grunted.  
"Am I really a jerk...?" She asked herself repeatedly. Eventually, her true self answered.  
"I... I think I really am," Said Camille's conscious, "I shouldn't have said those things to Bianca. After all... I was the one who made her angry in the first place. I have to stop lashing out on people. But why can't I stop?"  
Camille decided to lay back down for three minutes. She floated awkwardly between being awake and being sleep, not peacefully in the least. She was heavy with guilt.  
"I said, calling all explorers! Camille!" Novella said again. The voice pounded in Camille's eardrums.  
Startled and irritated, Camille rolled out of the couch and landed unpleasantly on her bottom.  
"Besides, the fact that this nonsense world is real is still messing with me. I hope I can go home soon..."  
"Camiiiile!" Novella sang loudly, "If you don't get up, I'm going to sing!"

That got Camille racing down the spiral piano staircase very quickly. A frantic tune played on the staircase as she scrambled down.

Bianca, Ruby and Pepper stood around the table in the colorful living room. On the other side was Emi, Roy, and a very determined-looking and raring-to-go Novella in the center. Standing a little bit off the center, was Camille, her arms crossed and face looking slightly downwards.  
Bianca's heart was pounding in awe as she saw Novella in her colorful, yet functional explorer gear.  
"Novella looks so serious and cool." Bianca thought. "I bet this is a serious meeting about serious stuff. I bet these guys have explored all kinds of amazing places... tombs, dungeons, abandoned buildings and forests and deserts, and... Am I really ready? I have so many questions. They must be so brave!"  
"O-okay!" Novella stuttered, yet still tried to keep her serious demeanor. "Since we have newbies joining us, our plan will be fun, yet easy for beginners! Starting four days from now... we are all going on an expedition! All of us! First we're going to go through the alphabet forest, on foot! Then we're going to camp out in the plot bunny field. Then we'll take a boat to the Seas of Bath, stop at the deepest point, put on our gear and look for treasure! We'll be going PAST Mt. Foreverest. For our final destination, we'll be stopping in Royal Whimsy Capital, the capital of Whimsica, where the Queen lives. If we're lucky... we might be able to touch the Queen's hair..."

Bianca held on tightly to Pepper and Ruby. This all sounded so splendid!  
"Meanwhile, you have four days to get ready. I will tell you everything you need to know, and you will spend all day training and all night studying! Got it?"  
"Well that is, if we even get around to executing this plan." Roy said bluntly. Blunter than a dull pencil.  
"What do you mean, Roy? You know ol' Novella here always sticks to her word! Novella is a great explorer!" Novella said.  
"Yeah, Novella is a great explorer!" Emi echoed.  
"Guys, when are you just going to tell them the truth?" Roy asked, "That you two are The Explorers Who Don't Do Anything."  
The air froze.  
Novella's face froze. It looked physically stiff, as if the air encased it in ice. She looked like she had been hit hard, with a wall made of cold metal. Gradually, embarrassed red began to flood her cheeks. Emi, who was standing to the side smiling awkwardly, looked embarrassed and broke into a sweat as well.  
"Okay, to tell the truth... I'm not as great as an explorer as I may seem." Novella cackled. "Hahaha! I take myself too seriously. I've been on... maybe just slightly less expeditions than the person I come off as..."  
"Novella, you can't even spell the word expedition." Roy said.  
"Ohh..." Novella hung her head in shame. Emi gave her a hug. "Roy! Why you little... You owe me an ice cream!"  
"Does the mean they've been on none?" Ruby whispered the question in Pepper's ear.  
"Oh, alright... I'll tell the truth." Novella said defeatedly, not lifting her head up even a little.  
"I'm a newbie." She confessed. "A complete explorer beginner. I just woke up one day and decided I wanted to travel the world... I worked so hard for it, from training, to researching, to planning. I even met Emi and Roy along the way, but... it hasn't even been that long ago, yet I'm acting like it's been my whole life. Within the short time, I really haven't even done anything substantial. It's just like all my other dreams. I have way too many. All of them start by just waking up one morning and deciding I want to do it. I'm way too hasty, eccentric, and I decide things on a simple whim. But unlike all my other dreams... I've actually started to settle down and work towards this one. So still... I may be a loser, but I'm still proud of what I've done. It isn't easy being an explorer after all... Sorry I duped all of you."  
At this point, Camille was listening intently to the conversation. She was legitimately feeling something for Novella. She just couldn't come out with it.  
"But... I still have to applaud you." Bianca said, honestly eyeing Novella.  
"Hm?" Novella asked.  
"You have passion. You have... courage. Also, this villa place is incredible! It's so filled with all kinds of research stuff, I can tell you're devoted. I'm sure you'll become the real deal one day, if you keep on trying and never give up!" Bianca gave a honest, sweet smile. From the side, Camille eyed her, not realizing she was smiling slightly from Bianca's words as well.  
Words like those... they were the exact reason Bianca was so great, Camille thought.  
"Thanks..." Novella rubbed the back of her head. "I'm still proud of what Emi, Roy and I have accomplished. We're ready for an expedition now. You joined us at just the right time."  
"See? Novella is really great." Emi said, "She's a hard worker, and even when she isn't honest, she always tries her best to become even greater than before."  
"Sure. What Emi said." Roy said.  
"Roy, you really could show more compassion every now and then." Novella sighed. "You have a big mouth too. Oh Roy... what are we going to do with you?"  
"Wait... I still have a question." Bianca said. "In fact... I have several."  
"Go ahead." Novella and the other two invited Bianca to speak.  
"Well, you see... I was meaning to actually ask Pepper."  
Bianca questioned on her arrival to Whimisca. How did she manage to get here? Did she really manage to turn imaginary?  
Pepper told Bianca it could've been her erratic magic.  
Bianca wanted to ask about Camille as well, but didn't even want to say her name. She knew she would start choking up.  
"I transformed while I fought the monster, but... when can I do it again?" Bianca asked.  
"It would be hard to determine, since your magic is erratic." Pepper replied. "Most people with the ability to transform can do it on command once they unlock their transformation... but it seems yours would occur when certain circumstances are right."  
"I read in the book about 'glitches'." Bianca asked next, "It seems like my magic can cause them. When I first met you... a bunch of strange things happened in the room. Were those glitches?"  
"It's exactly what they were." Pepper said. Bianca nodded.  
"And... the fire kingdom is where you're from, right Pepper? You said you can't go back because it froze. Maybe it was a really big glitch."  
"It could've been." Pepper answered. "I don't know for sure, it's really mysterious. Nobody really knows..."

"Now that my true self has been exposed, I won't be so harsh on everyone." Novella said. "Everyone will get ready at their own paces. We will put off the expedition for... two weeks."  
"So... that's basically Christmas time! Yay, a Christmas adventure!" Emi cheered.  
"Ho, ho, ho." Roy added, rather sans-emotion.  
"Oh, Bianca!" Novella saw Bianca exploring the rooms.  
"It seems like you have a curious mind that wants to learn about Whimsica. That's really good. I'm hoping that within these two weeks, you'll learn a lot, and we'll bond a lot! Like a family!"  
Bianca managed to smile.  
Camille eavesdropped from the corner.  
"Like a family..." She thought. "I want a family who loves me for who I am. I hope Bianca isn't mad at me..."  
Camille felt herself choking up, so she ran for the couch in the art room to hide her face.  
"Come to think of it... I admired Bianca when I first saw her too.  
Camille remembered a long time ago, she ended up sitting by this quiet girl. In her notebook she drew in, was the closest thing Camille had ever seen to actual magic. Bianca's heart.  
There was just something about this lonely girl's aimless scribbles... that told a story that couldn't be put into words. Bianca was a unique spirit, and Camille could tell from then on.  
The more Camille eyed her from across the room, the lonelier she realized Bianca was.  
"I wanted to be her friend..." Camille said, "I've wanted it for so long..."  
Camille buried her face in her sleeves.  
"And I blew it."


	17. Chapter 17

While Bianca roamed around the place, reading books off the shelves and marveling at the artistry of the house, everyone else bonded in the family room. Camille was taking a long, glorious nap.

"I'm Ruby, and I really love Soleil!" Ruby introduced herself eagerly.

"I'm an idol in training!" Emi said. “I’m gonna be like Soleil one day too!”  
"Idol? More like idle with an e." Roy said.

"Am not!" Emi clenched a small fist. "You're so mean, Roy!"

"Also Emi...” Roy said. “I don't know much about being an idol, but I do have some knowledge. Don't you need to have a character that appeals to the fans?"

"Yeah. Don't I already?" Emi asked.

"Well, you see. I'm going to show you an example. I'll only do this once."

Roy turned around. When he turned back to face everyone, the aura  
surrounding him felt completely different. It turned sparkly and cheerful.

"Hello everyone, meow! My next song is sure to capture your heart! Chu!”

He made his hands into a heart, winked, and eyed everyone sweetly.

Suddenly, Roy's bubbly aura suddenly faded back into his blunt, stoic one. The happy illusory sparkles around him fell right back to the ground.

"You know, something like that." He said, austerely, in his normal dull expression.

Everyone in the room was frozen.

"Did Roy get possessed by a unicorn?" Ruby asked.

"Awkward." Novella's eyes bulged from her head.

"That was so cute!!" Emi raced up to Roy and held his hands in admiration. Roy turned red and scowled.

"Does he... does he practice that alone in his room or something?" Pepper thought.

———

Meanwhile, Shadow was sniffing another, rounder rabbit. This rabbit was mint green in color with long floppy ears.

"Oh, that's my rabbit, Mint." Emi said. "She eats a lot of cake. That's why she's so round."

Mint licked Shadow on the head and started nibbling on her ear.

"Don't worry! That's just how she says hello."

Shadow squeaked and shook his head and playfully tackled Mint. Both rabbits impishly tumbled about.

\-------

Eventually, Bianca found the invention room. The room was filled with all sorts of crazy and colorful gizmos and gadgets. Some were glowing and some were beeping.

“Hey, Roy, what is all this stuff?” Bianca asked.

“My inventions.” He said. Roy seemed like a stoic kind of person who didn’t show much emotion. Bianca felt a little bit uneasy around him. She made extra sure not to touch any of the inventions.

“Um... cool! What does this one do?” Bianca pointed to a machine that looked strangely like a gramophone.

“It converts french fries into prosciutto.” Roy said. “It’s a work in progress. So far, it only produces regular ham.”

All of a sudden, a voice came from behind them.

“Wow, what does this button do?”

It was Ruby.

“Ruby, no!” Roy cried out. But it was too late. The machine Ruby pressed began to jump and sputter and release smoke. Bianca backed up, not knowing what to expect. Then all of a sudden, a robot arm came out of the contraption and dropped a big purple bean on Roy’s head.

“I expected something more.” Ruby said.

“What happened?” Bianca asked.

“This is my machine that can convert emotions to beans.” Roy said. “Upon eating the bean, you will feel the emotion of the person who pressed the button. However, Ruby, you shouldn’t press any of these inventions without my permissions.”

“Um, can I try that?” Bianca said, pointing to the bean.

“Sure.”

Roy handed the bean to Bianca, who sniffed it thoroughly before popping it into her mouth. It had a squishy texture, and tasted like a weird mix of vanilla and cherry pie.

Upon swallowing it, Bianca felt a peculiar emotion bubble up inside of her.

“Ooh, what does this button do?” She mused with wide eyes, looking around at all the colorful buttons and switches. “And this one, and this one...”

Roy grabbed Bianca and led her out of the room before she could wreak havoc on any of the inventions.

“As you can see, Bianca is now feeling your curiosity.” Roy said.

“That’s so cool!” Ruby grinned. “Now, what do all these other buttons do?”

“Nope.” Roy dragged Ruby out of the room as well and locked his invention room.

———

Meanwhile, Emi was curious about Pepper’s spicy habanero peppers, which she dipped in hot sauce and ate as a snack. Pepper loved the fiery taste. After all, she was from the Fire Kingdom.

“Hey, how spicy are these things anyway?” She asked curiously.

“You remind me of Ruby.” Pepper said, popping another raw habanero smothered in the edible lava in her mouth as if it were a strawberry with cream.

Emi picked one up and looked at it.

“I wouldn’t try one of those if I were you.” Pepper said.

“But... But if you were me, you’d be me...” Emi said, confused.

“...Yeah.” Pepper said.

“Okay, I’m going to eat one!” Emi announced loudly for all to hear.

“Good luck with that.” Pepper said.

Emi popped the spicy pepper in her mouth and bit down, and her smile immediately turned upside down.

“AAAH! It’s... spicy!” She shrieked. Steam emerged from her ears. Emi blasted off to the fridge and chugged down a pitcher of fruit punch.

“Well, what did you expect?” Pepper asked nonchalantly.

“Gee, how do you even eat these things!? It felt like a volcano eruption in my mouth!”

“Ooh, I’ve always wanted to try an authentic habanero!” Novella went up to Pepper, who was now tired of her food being the center of attention.

Novella ate a pepper without another word, and suddenly began to jump and sputter and release smoke.

“Haha, you’re acting like one of Roy’s inventions!” Emi giggled. “That was spicy, wasn’t it?”

In fact, it was so spicy, that Novella started rhyming her sentences and couldn’t stop for the rest of the day.

———

“Say, Novella...” Bianca asked. “I’ve been wondering something.”

“What could it be that you wonder, below this roof you’re standing under?” Novella said. She didn’t mean for her sentences to rhyme.

“Well, um...” Bianca said. “You’re my age right? So... exactly where are your parents?”

“Oh, you see, they’re on vacation. Quite a lonely situation.” Novella said. “I live alone, and so does Roy, orphaned as a little boy. Emi too, she is a stray. Both her parents are away. However, despite no mother, the three of us still have each other.”

———

Camille emerged from her slumber. She looked around in the dark room and lit a lamp so she could see better.

“Dear diary,” She wrote on a pile of paper she found. “I know you’re not a real diary but please let me act like you’re one. It seems I’m stuck here. This place is nuts, and I’m not getting along with anyone. The worst part is that it’s all my fault. If I apologized to Bianca now, I’m afraid she might not accept my apology.”

———

It was almost night time, and Ruby brought her pajamas and her favorite pillow. It wasn’t any pillow. It was a special pillow. It was...

“A pillow with Soleil’s face printed on it!” Emi remarked.

Ruby blushed a deep ruby red.

“Well, I thought that if I slept with it every night, Soleil’s divine talent would start to rub off on me...” Ruby squeaked.

“Hehe. You must really love Soleil then, Ruby.” Emi giggled.

“Is that bad?” Ruby hissed, which was uncharacteristic of her. Talking about Soleil caused her to become passionate.

“No.” Emi said. “Soleil is really cool! She’s talented and mysterious.”

“Ah! I know, right?” Ruby’s eyes shone as bright as, well, rubies.

“I love how she can sing in Italian, Latin, Pig Latin, Gibberish, Dragonese, and even the ancient language of the cosmos itself...”

“She’s a real star!”

“The daughter of the sun and moon!”

“My dream is to meet her. I want to be able to talk to her... I want to be worthy to be in her presence!” Ruby squeaked.

“I’m sure that will happen one day!” Emi said. “Don’t give up!”

———

Roy was drawing some blueprints.

“Roy, if you’re so good at drawing, maybe you should use it to make art for once.” Emi said.

“Well, I’m not an artistic person.” Roy said.

“But you’re literally Roy G. Biv!” Emi said. “You’re named after the colors of the rainbow!”

“My parents only thought it would be funny because our last name happened to be Biv. So they named me Roy G. Not like it’s fate or anything.”

“Still... I’m jealous of your drawing talent.” Emi said. “It’s a shame you don’t use it.”

Pepper was overhearing the conversation.

“My little sister, Pop likes drawing.” She thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever drawn a picture in my entire life. Not even during art class, because I skipped it.”

Pepper suddenly got curious about what she was able to do. She got out a piece of paper and drew a dog. She didn’t like how it turned out, however, so she crumpled it and threw it on the floor.

“Hey, Pepper!” Emi came and bounced on her. “What are you doing?”

“...Nothing.” Pepper said this to hide her embarrassment of the dog she drew. It didn’t really look like a dog. Instead, it looked utterly terrifying. She knew whoever saw it would laugh right in her face.

“What’s this?” Emi picked up the paper Pepper threw on the floor. She unfolded it and immediately burst into tears of laughter.

“Pepper? That’s an... interesting spaghetti monster you drew.”

“It’s a dog.” Pepper said.

“Haha! Oh wow!” Emi ran off and began to show everyone, as Pepper buried her head in her hands.

“Look, Bianca! Pepper drew a dog!”

Bianca was so amused at the picture that she snorted like a pig and collapsed on the floor. She laughed, and laughed... until she cried.

“Bianca, are you okay?” Emi started to become concerned.

Bianca’s cries became quieter until she was lying on the floor unconscious.

“Bianca!?” Emi shrieked.

Pepper dashed right towards the commotion, sensing that something was wrong with Bianca.

Pepper put her hand to Bianca’s forehead.

“She’s... in a nightmare coma.” She said.

“WHAT?” Everyone else in the room said. At this point, Ruby, Roy, and Novella had also come in.

“A nightmare coma?” Emi asked. “But it’s so sudden! How?”

“Perhaps Pepper’s drawing was so bad, that it sent Bianca into a coma filled with nightmares.” Roy said, looking at the paper Bianca was carrying. Roy, however, seemed completely unfazed by it.

“Well, sorry I’m so horrible!” Pepper sighed. “I didn’t mean to...”

“Must be one terrifying sight.” Novella said. “Can I see it, if that’s alright?”

“No.” Roy said. “We should all be working on getting Bianca to a hospital.”

“Oh no...” Ruby began to tear up and hug Pepper.

“I’m sorry.” Pepper said to everyone.

“It’s okay.” Roy said. He seemed genuinely caring.

Camille went down the stairs and saw Bianca out cold on the carpet.

“What’s going on...?” She asked. She had been apprehensive to come out of the room she took a nap in.

“Oh, Camille...” Novella said. She then explained everything.

“What!?” Camille said. “So Bianca is trapped in a nightmare filled with dangerous monsters that might taint her heart?”

“I’m afraid so. We have to get her to a hospital. We don’t know when she’ll come to her senses.”

“But... she needs to get up now! She can’t be stuck in a nightmare for days! That would be terrifying!”

“But what else can we do?” Novella asked.

“We defeat the nightmare.” Camille said.

“What?” Everyone said in unison.

“What you just said is an extremely dangerous thing!” Roy said. “The only way to save someone from a nightmare coma is to go into the same coma and fight the nightmare. The monsters in nightmare comas are very powerful. Even though your real body doesn’t get damaged, you will feel real pain as the monsters attack you inside the nightmare!”

“I... I don’t care.” Camille said.

“What?” A few other people said in unison.

“Camille...” Ruby said, moved by her sacrifice.

“Put me in a coma too.” Camille said. “I need to save Bianca from the nightmare! Or else, you said her heart will be tainted by the monsters... I don’t want that!”

“Camille?” Novella asked.

“Bianca is a really kind person... I don’t want anything like that to happen to her heart.”

Everyone in the room looked at each other.

“A trained doctor at the hospital will be able to defeat Bianca’s nightmare.” Novella said to Camille.

“How far away is the hospital?” Camille asked.

“Twenty miles.” Novella said. “We don’t have any transportation either.”

“We can’t settle for that...” Camille said. “Let me save Bianca. I’ll do it. Even if I can’t defeat any monsters, at least Bianca will be with me instead of being alone.”

Roy suddenly seemed moved by Camille’s sacrifice as well.

“All right. I’ll give you nightmare pills that will send your mind into a nightmare.” Roy said. “Once you’re there, you have to think about Bianca. Then you will be able to find her.”

“All right.” Camille said.

“Once you’re there, I will use my magical dream ray to give you a weapon to fight the nightmare monsters with. However, due to my invention being in the beta version, the weapon will be randomized.”

“Okay.” Camille took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

———

Camille took the pills and began to lay down on a bed, with everyone else in the room as well. Bianca was in the bed adjacent to her.

In a couple of minutes, Camille was fast asleep...

“Gah!” Camille felt nothing but shaking. A loud sound pierced her eardrums. She struggled to open her eyes, and found that her surroundings were a dark, empty version of her school. And she was in her underwear.

“This must be a nightmare!” Camille thought to herself. “Why else would I be in my underwear at school?”

Suddenly, the locker near Camille started thumping. A large lizard beast emerged out of it. Its face dripped with slime and its piercing eyes were glowing.

“AH!” Camille, her heart beating fast, ran down the endless hallway in the other direction.

All of a sudden, Camille was holding a guitar.

“Weird.” She thought. “I would have rather had pants than a guitar.”

Suddenly, she had pants as well.

Then a couple of seconds passed, and it sunk in that the guitar was actually Camille’s weapon.

“Roy’s invention must be pretty bad!” Camille said. “I wanted a sword or a big mallet, but a guitar? But then again... I don’t know how to wield a sword anyway.”

Camille kept running until she encountered a horde of zombies.

Camille strummed the strings on her guitar and created a sound wave that knocked them back.

“Whoa! This is some magical guitar...” She thought.

Suddenly, Camille heard a shriek.

“Help! Help meee!”

It was Bianca! It was coming from above. Not just anywhere above, but 68 stories above.

“Oh no!” Camille thought. “Does that mean I have to run up 68 flights of stairs in order to save Bianca!?”

All of a sudden, an elevator appeared.

“Ride me!” It said.

Camille frantically hopped on.

“So, what’s your name?” The elevator asked Camille once she was riding it.

“I’m Darcy.” Camille said. She didn’t want to tell the elevator her real name...

“Well, Darcy. Sounds like the name of my next meal!”

The back of the elevator opened. The floor turned into a tongue that flicked Camille down the elevator’s throat.

“I am not an elevator!” Said the structure. “I’m a giant monster! Wahaha!”

“I’m being digested!” Camille thought... “Is this the end? Will my heart get tainted by the monsters?”

Camille fell and fell. Except this time, there wasn’t any bottles floating around that said “Drink me”. That that Camille would’ve trusted a mysterious bottle like that anyway.

Suddenly, Camille hit a bouncy surface, kind of like a trampoline. She bounced in the air, until she landed on someone...

“Bianca!” Camille said.

“Camille!” Bianca said. “I’m glad to see you... I’m so scared...”

“Bianca, this is only a nightmare.” Camille said. “I went inside your nightmare to rescue you. So now, let’s defeat your nightmare and wake you up, okay?”

Bianca felt touched by Camille’s words.

“Okay...” She responded.

Suddenly, Bianca got a weapon too. It was her magical staff!

“My magical staff from before...” She said. “It’s back!?”

Bianca looked down at her clothes and noticed they have changed into her magical outfit from when she fought the flan monster she created.

“I transformed?” She said. “But I can’t control when I do so...”

Bianca looked up at Camille and noticed she was wearing a different outfit too...

“Camille, you... you became a magical girl.” Bianca said.

“What!?” Camille looked down at her outfit. It was a blue dress that incorporated elements of the ocean into its design.

But... how?

“Well, when I first transformed, Pepper told me something.” Bianca said. “She said we can become a magical version of ourself when we do something called fulfillment. When we do something grand, that’s when it happens. So maybe, you fulfilled yourself too!”

“But I didn’t do anything grand...” Camille said.

But suddenly, Roy’s voice chimed in from above. He was communicating with Camille through the dream ray.

“But you did.” He said. “You offered to help Bianca in her time of need. That was why you fulfilled yourself.”

“Hey, Camille!” Novella’s voice came. “Now that you’re a magical girl, you’ll be able to use stronger magic!”

“Good luck, Camille!” Ruby’s voice came.

“I commend your courage.” Said Pepper.

“You can do it!” Said Emi.

“Everyone...” Camille said.

Suddenly, everything began to shake again. Gray, hue-less monsters began to emerge from the darkness.

Camille’s guitar became a magical staff as well, like Bianca’s. However, it had strings attached to it, like an instrument.

Bianca’s magical staff had a paintbrush on the other end. It was as if Bianca had the power of art, and Camile had the power of music.

Camille strummed the strings again and it caused a sound wave that momentarily knocked over the monsters.

“I didn’t know you could play a string instrument...” Bianca said.

“Well, you just have to believe.” Camille said. “I don’t know how to play it either. But this is a dream. I think if I believe I can, then I could!”

Bianca used the brush portion of her magical staff to paint balls of light to hurl at the monsters.

“I have to believe I can defeat them too...” She said.

“Yes, you can do anything if you believe...” Camille said, as a dramatic guitar solo started playing.

Bianca and Camille then both realized that Camille’s fingers were moving on their own, and Camille was playing the epic guitar solo!

Bianca twirled her magic staff and color began to shoot out everywhere, creating a beautiful painting all around... the music and the colors combined attacked the colorless monsters and overpowered them as they vanished.

Music and colors surrounded both of the girls. The nightmare was over, and became a sweet dream.

Both of them began to laugh and frolic, until everything became lighter and they finally woke up together.

“Hey! You both woke up! You did it!” Novella cheered. Hugs were given, from everyone, to everyone.

“So...” Camille then started saying. “I want to say something. Bianca... I’m sorry. I’m sorry I said all those things to you. The truth is, I want to be more like you. I’m such an awful person...”

“But Camille...” Bianca said. “I always wanted to be more like you.”

“Huh?” Camille asked.

“You don’t let anything stand in your way. And you’re not an awful person. You were brave, courageous, and kind enough to save me from that nightmare... even though you knew there was a risk.”

“But Bianca, I’m... a jerk. Everyone agrees too.”

“You’re not a jerk.” Pepper said. “You were willing to help a friend in need.”

“Oh...” Camille said.

“Come here.” Bianca gave Camille a hug. Camille began to tear up. Bianca began crying too.

“Please don’t cry Bianca.” Pepper said.

“But, it’s okay for her to cry.” Ruby said. “It isn’t wrong for her to show emotion.”

“True...” Pepper said. “But I just... I just don’t want her to feel sad anymore, is all...”

“You really do care about Bianca, don’t you...” Ruby said.

“Yeah.” Said Pepper.

“Still...” Camille said. “Was Pepper’s drawing really that bad?”

“I ripped it up and flushed it down the toilet.” Roy said. “So the world will never know, fortunately.”

Everyone started laughing.

From then on, Bianca and Camille were like a team. When they were together, they combined their good traits, and canceled out each other’s flaws. Bianca wielded art and vision, and Camille music and sound.

Little did they know, this was only the start of the grand adventures they’d have together.


	18. Chapter 18

Later that night, Bianca and Camille went to sleep in the same room in separate beds.

“Bianca, um...” Camille began to say. “I’m glad I got to be your friend.”

“Me too...” Bianca said.

“Anyway, what’s the name of your stuffed cat?” Camille just wanted to talk to Bianca, to just have a conversation the way friends did. She didn’t want their time together to end because they had to sleep.

“My stuffed cat... is named Snowbell...” Bianca said. “Um, m-my grandmother gave her to me...”

Camille noticed Bianca sounded a bit sad when she said that.

“Oh, ok.” She tried to answer and change the subject so that Bianca didn’t have to think of whatever was making her sad. But surprisingly, Bianca went on talking of her grandmother.

“My grandmother passed away a while ago...” Bianca said. “But when I’m with Snowbell, I still feel her with me. And... and well, I did get to see her again a little while ago.”

“Gee, I’m sorry.” Camille said. “But what do you mean by getting to see her?”

“Well...” Bianca started answering. “I saw her as an angel. She said... she said she was the one who created this world on accident. And now here I am, inside of it. But this world is in danger and I have to watch over it... even though I’m just a powerless misfit.”

“But, you are not a powerless misfit!” Camille said, a little bit too loudly. “And well, I think that’s confusing and really cool. So this is a world your grandmother created?”

“Yeah... but I really don’t know a lot about it.” Bianca said. “In fact, I still don’t know many of the details. How exactly am I supposed to watch over something so big?”

“I’m sure it will come to you.” Camille said.

“Thank you...” Bianca answered.

“I don’t think I can sleep.” Camille said. “I did take a long nap today... plus everything is so strange.”

“Me neither.” Bianca said. “But we should try and sleep well tonight.”

“Alright Bianca. Good night.” Camille said.

“Good night.”

———

The next day...

Bianca and Camille were woken up in an extravagant manner, as expected from being in such a zany world...

“You just got a letter!” It was a talking mailbox with a fashionable mustache.

Bianca and Camille both screamed when they both saw the mailbox singing and dancing, but then they remembered they were in Whimsica and this kind of stuff was probably perfectly normal.

“Um... okay. So show us the letter then I guess?” Camille said, once the mailbox was through with its little song and dance.

“It’s for Bianca!”

The mailbox sneezed out the letter at Bianca and scuttled away.

Bianca opened the letter and found a childish-looking drawing of her. The letter was fan-mail from Sweetopia and was sent by Flan, Zircon, and Gummy.

“Hello, Bianca.” It said. “Thank you for saving Sweetopia for us! We have wanted to meet you, so we decided to send you this letter. We are very grateful and admire you a lot. PS: Anise has reformed and become a good person. She is now taking care of me, Flannery. I am a little girl in a wheelchair and Anise helped me accomplish my dreams. Anise also wants to apologize to you.”

“Anise?” Bianca thought. She then remembered the dark magical with sepia hair. “Oh, that’s great that she became good...”

“Sounds like you’ve already been on several adventures here.” Camille said.

Bianca nodded and told Camille about her journey so far.

“Wow, that’s a tale for the ages.” Camille said. “I’m actually a little jealous...”

———

Bianca and Camille went downstairs and saw everyone except Pepper, who loved napping and tended to oversleep.

“You’re both late! Change of plans!” Novella yelled in the girls’ faces once they went downstairs. She had a habit of being very excited.

“Isn’t it too early to be yelling...?” Camille said, rubbing her eyes.

“Change of plans!” Novella yelled again. “We’re setting out on our expedition tomorrow!”

“What?” Bianca and Camille said together. “Why?”

“Well. I’m just so excited!” Novella said. “I was thinking about our expedition all last night and was so excited, I couldn’t sleep! We have to set out tomorrow, or else I won’t get any sleep for two weeks!”

Bianca and Camille looked at each other.

“Is this okay with everyone else?” Bianca asked.

“I asked everyone else except Pepper.” Novella said. “Where is she anyway?”

“Still asleep.” Roy said.

“Well, why don’t we wake her up then?” Camille said.

However, Bianca knew Pepper well enough to know she probably wouldn’t be happy to be woken up abruptly.

“Are you really sure that’s a good idea?” She asked.

“Well, we have to tell her sooner or later.” Novella said.

———

Bianca, Camille, and Novella went to the room where Pepper was sleeping. She was snoring loudly and occasionally mumbling grumpily in her sleep.

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!” Novella shouted. Pepper did nothing but roll over, still asleep.

Bianca and Camille looked at each other, nervously.

“I said, wake up!” Novella singsonged again.

“No Candy... the squirrels are evil...” Pepper muttered. She was still asleep.

Bianca cracked up in laughter a little bit, and so did Camille.

“Hey Pepper! If you want me to draw on your face, then don’t wake up!” Bianca yelled. The grumpy monarch of the Fire Kingdom did not budge.

Bianca picked up the marker which was randomly on the floor next to her for no reason, and drew blue swirls on her cheeks. She giggled.

“I had no idea Bianca could be so mischievous.” Camille thought. 

Suddenly, Pepper got up out of the bed. Bianca was startled and jolted back. Pepper silently walked out the door to her room and began doing the chicken dance.

The other three looked at each other blankly.

“Um... hey Pepper.” Camille said nervously. “Exactly what are you doing?”

Camille suddenly noticed that Pepper was still snoring...

“No way!” Everyone said. “She’s dancing in her sleep!?”

“What a heavy sleeper!” Camille exclaimed.

Suddenly, Pepper woke up.

“Hm?” Pepper asked. “Why are you all staring at me as if I’ve done something totally odd?”

“...Nothing.” Bianca peeped. The other two nodded.

“It can’t be that you guys drew on my face while I was asleep, did you?”

Bianca suddenly jolted in such an animated way, Pepper could automatically tell she was guilty.

“Bianca...” Pepper said.

“I’m sorry!” Bianca squeaked. “I just thought it would be funny! And you could always wash it off your face!”

Pepper silently went to the sink and looked in the mirror and sighed. She began to wash her face... only for the swirls on her cheeks to still be there.

“Bianca...” Pepper said. “Are you sure that marker wasn’t permanent?”

Bianca gulped. In fact, she hadn’t even checked to see if the marker was just temporary or not. She picked up the marker, and saw the dreaded words written on it. “Permanent marker”, it said in bold.

“Oh no!” Bianca shrieked.

———

“So that’s why you came to my room, looking for an invention that can erase permanent marker?” Roy asked, once the others were in his quarters.

“Yeah...” Bianca said guiltily.

“It’s fine.” Roy said. “I think I have just the thing. It’s still in progress, however.”

It was almost as if every single one of Roy’s inventions were in progress.

He walked towards his invention room and came out carrying something that looked like a mini port-o-potty. He pressed a magic button on a remote control, and the mini capsule grew to full size.

“...A portable toilet facility?” Pepper asked.

“That’s not what it is.” Roy said. “It’s a machine that can reset your body to the condition it was in the last time you said the word “bobolink”. Therefore, if you had no permanent marks on my face at the time, it should erase them.”

“But... but what if I’ve never said “bobolink” in my entire life?” Pepper asked.

Roy’s mouth fell open.

“You just said it right this moment!” He said. “Therefore, this isn’t going to work anymore...”

“What do we do now?” Bianca asked.

“Well, I do have another possible solution.” Roy said. “However, it’s even less developed than this invention.”

Roy brought out a machine that looked like a treasure chest and made it grow to full size.

“If you go inside here, I’ll make it so this machine splits the permanent ink from your face by separating it from you.” Roy said. “I originally created it so I could separate all the raisins from an oatmeal cookie without having to crumble though them.”

“Oh yeah, they always taste better without the raisins.” Bianca said.

“I wanted to eat the raisins without the cookie.” Roy said.

“Oh.” Bianca said. “They sell raisins separately, you know.”

“Not around here, they don’t.” Roy grumbled. “Anyway, get in the machine, Pepper.”

“Alright.” Pepper cooperated and stepped in the machine, closing the lid on top. Roy pushed a big green button on his handy remote controller and the machine began to jump and sparkle.

“Okay Pepper, you can come out now.” Roy said.

But nobody was ready for what was to emerge from the chest.

Instead of one Pepper coming out, there were TWO. Both Peppers looked half the size of the original person.

“Aahhh!” Bianca screamed.

“Oh no... NO!” Roy collapsed in shame. “The invention had an adverse effect! Instead of splitting the marker ink and Pepper, it split Pepper‘s body into two smaller versions of her!”

“Well Roy, what’cha gonna do about that?” One of the Peppers said.

The other Pepper had snuck behind Roy. She pulled tightly at one of his braids and had Roy drop his remote control on the floor in surprise.

Both Peppers ran off laughing with Roy’s remote.

“...What was that all about?” Bianca asked audibly.

Meanwhile, Princess Candy of Sweetopia was watching the scene from outside. She frantically ran to the door of the villa and began to knock.

“Yes?” Bianca went to the front and answered the knock. “Hey... I remember you! What are you doing here?”

“There’s no time for that now...” Candy said. “I just saw Pepper become split into two 7-year-olds!”

“What?” Bianca said.

“It’s true...” Roy said. “Years are the building blocks who make up who we are. Since Pepper was fourteen years old, her age became divided by two, and therefore she become two 7-year-olds when she split in half.”

“Yeah! The problem is that Pepper was a huge troublemaker when she was seven!” Candy shouted. “If we don’t stop her, she might wreak havoc everywhere! Especially since there’s TWO of her now! Yeep!”

“How can we get her to fuse back?” Bianca asked.

“To do that, both of the Peppers have to fall asleep.” Roy said.

“I know how to make her fall asleep.” Candy said. “One time Pepper heard Soleil’s Nocturne Lullaby and fell right asleep! It’s the song that makes Pepper fall asleep without fail.”

Ruby suddenly and spontaneously appeared in a puff of sparkly smoke.

“Did someone just say SOLEIL!?” She said with a huge smile on her face.

“Ah! Yes!” Candy said, surprised at first by Ruby’s sudden appearance. “Quick, do you have a recording of Soleil’s Nocturne Lullaby?”

“Of course!” Ruby pulled the recording out of seemingly thin air. “I have Soleil’s music on me at all times!”

“Good! Now all we have to do is have the Peppers listen to it!”

Meanwhile, both Peppers were running around the villa and dumping ramen mix into the toilets. They were also lighting the trash bins on fire and singing karaoke really loudly.

“Hey, Pepper!” Candy ran up to them. “Prepare to meet defeat!”

Candy held up the MP3 player with Soleil’s Nocturne Lullaby on it. Both Peppers’ eyes widened in fear and they began to run away.

“You two come back here!” Candy shouted. Roy, Novella, Emi, Ruby, Bianca, and Camille were all running behind her. Pairs of frantic feet were stomping all over the villa.

Candy blared the music as loud as she could, but the Peppers’ rock music was louder. They were also both covering their ears as they ran.

“Ruby, why don’t you sing along for more sound?” Novella suggested. “You know all of Soleil’s songs, don’t you?”

“I can’t sing!” Ruby said. “I can act, dance, rap, but I never got better at carrying a tune in all my years!”

“Just try!” Everyone shouted at Ruby.

Everyone had ran in a circle, when suddenly, both the Peppers hid inside of Roy’s machine.

Emi accidentally stepped on Roy’s remote, which was on the ground! All of a sudden, the machine began to work, with both Peppers inside it.

“Yay! We’re getting them to fuse back!” Ruby cheered.

“I don’t think so.” Roy said. “This machine only splits things apart, not fuse them together...”

Before anyone could say another word, four very small Peppers emerged from the machine. Everyone screamed. Especially Candy.

“Now Pepper became four 3.5-year-olds!” Candy shrieked.

“How is that a bad thing?” Roy asked. “Toddlers are slow. We’d be able to catch up with them easily!”

“You obviously don’t know what Pepper was like then!” Candy said.

Pepper as a toddler was able to waddle in super speed! The four baby Peppers scattered about, tumbling around in super speed. All four of them began to separate and run off to different parts of the villa!

“Oh no!” Bianca squeaked. The two words were becoming her catchphrase.

“I have an idea.” Roy said. “If we could get the real Soleil to come here...”

Roy’s explanation was interrupted by Ruby’s loud fangirl squeal.

“Soleil! Here!? FOR REAL!?” She squeaked. Promptly, she fell over theatrically and passed out in bliss. This gave an opportunity for Roy to continue talking.

“...Anyway, if Soleil were here for real, she could use her equipment and have a concert in this house so loud, that the whole villa will fill up with the song! All the Peppers will be able to hear it and fall asleep!”

“Good idea!” Novella said. “But we don’t necessarily need Soleil here for it at all. All we need is a surround sound system.”

“Aw man.” Ruby suddenly regained consciousness. “I wanted Soleil to come here for real!”

“She’s probably very busy.” Novella said. “Famous people usually won’t go out of their way to meet normal people like us.”

“Phooey.” Ruby pouted.

“Hey guys.” Emi said. “My karaoke machine can hook up to all the speakers in the villa. Maybe that’s what you were looking for?”

“That’s exactly what we needed!” Novella and Roy said in unison. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier!”

———

“Okay, so all we have to do is play the song loud enough for the microphone to pick it up.” Emi said. “Then, it will start playing loudly in every room in the house!”

“All right!” Ruby, who was excited to hear Soleil’s beautiful voice once again, turned on her MP3 player...

“NOOOOOO!” Ruby suddenly shrieked.

“What’s wrong?” Everyone asked her.

“My... my music player’s battery died!” She said.

“WHAT!?” Everyone said.

“What do we do now!?” Bianca asked.

“Wait! I can’t see why Ruby could sing the song instead!” Camille said.

“But...” Ruby began stammering. “Remember! I can’t sing! Not at all!”

“Ruby, you’re going to have to try.” Novella said.

“But I...” Ruby said.

“I know that deep inside you want to!” Emi said.

“But...” Ruby finally gave in. “Okay... I’ll do it.”

Ruby held the microphone to her face, and began singing the song quietly.

“Ruby, don’t hold back!” Candy cheered. “Feel the passion of the song!”

Ruby began to sing a bit louder and clearer. The lyrics were about how sweet dreams were and wonderful things you can see in them. Ruby began to close her eyes, smile, and really feel the lyrics...

Suddenly, there were sparkles of light above everyone. They formed a white silhouette of Pepper, who descended to the floor, and materialized in front of them. She was fast asleep.

“We did it!” Everyone cheered.

“Most importantly, you did it!” Candy said to Ruby.

“I... I did?” Ruby felt choked up. Tears began to fill her eyes. She wiped them on her sleeve and smiled.

“You did great, Ruby!” Bianca said, hugging her.

“But there’s only one problem now.” Camille said.

“Hm? What is that?” Bianca asked.

“Now we have to find away to wake Pepper up again!” Camille said.

“Oh no!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part was a lot of fun to write!  
> Eventually, maybe even in the next chapter, there'll be more talk about backstories, magic, and what kind of magic each character posesses, if any. There will be also be talk about who fulfilled themselves already, and who hasn't. Also, there will be character development for everyone! I'll try.


	19. Chapter 19

December 18.

Throughout the night, the group of novice explorers were getting excited and ready for their big first expedition. Their slumbers were filled with dreams.

When it was finally the crack of dawn, Novella rose out of bed like the morning sun and woke up everyone else in the room with a song.

“I’ve been bursting with anticipation! Rise and shine, we’re going on vacation!”

Roy sang back to Novella from under the covers.

“I thought that this was an expedition. So much for your unstoppable ambition.”

Emi began to sing back to Roy.

“Come on, Novella is filled with devotion! She always puts her plans into motion!”

A golden contralto voice suddenly filled the room.

“What is up with all of this commotion!”

The voice wasn’t Emi’s. Nor was it Novella’s or Roy’s. It was...

“Wait, Pepper can sing?” Emi’s mouth fell open.

“What? And you can’t?” Pepper crossed her arms, annoyed.

“Of course I can!” Emi got fired up. “I’m an idol after all! An idol!”

“Oh boy.” Roy said.

Emi took out a microphone out of thin air and began to continue the song, belting the words.

“I am fire! I am a flame! With my heated passion, I will rise to fame!”

Ruby burst through the door and began rapping.

“If the battle is rhyming I am sure to prevail. My beats are fresh and all others are stale.”

Pepper started singing back to them.

“You guys are just hurting my head. Calm down and go back to bed.”

Novella began skipping around and bugging Pepper.

“But the sun is up, and so are we! It’s time to get out! It’s time to be free!”

Candy woke up.

“Ah, five more minutes please! Wait... this isn’t the kingdom of sweets!”

All the commotion ended up waking up Bianca and Camille too.

“My name is Bianca, I like to pet kittens. I’m stuck in this strange world without any... oh, forget it.”

Camille began to play a guitar solo in the middle of the song.

“Come on guys, get your bags! We’re going to travel with swag!” Novella shouted.

Swag.

It was such a familiar word at this point. It kind of reminded Bianca of...

“Hey, it’s Kuma!”

“Kuma!?”

Kuma was suddenly in the room! It seems the word swag had summoned him.

“Oh hey, it’s been so long I’ve seen you guys!” He said. “Bianca and Ruby! I remember you! And you too, Paper!”

“Paper?” Pepper asked. “Did you just call me Paper?”

“Huh? Well that’s your name, right?” Kuma said with a cheeky grin.

Pepper began to stare down Kuma with an enraged gaze. She began to turn red. Steam started coming from her ears. Kuma began sweating.

“Haha, look at Paper—I mean Pepper! She’s getting so angry!” Emi laughed.

“Maybe we shouldn’t pester her.” Bianca suggested. She anticipated what it would be like if Pepper got angry, and it wasn’t a pretty scene.

“Kuma, wait up!” Another voice started saying. A short girl with wild green hair came into the room. However, her hair was longer and more blush than Kuma’s.

“Kuri!” Kuma said.

“Who?” Asked Bianca.

“My sister! This is Kuri, she watches over the Game Kingdom with me.”

“Kuma, who are all these people?” Kuri asked. “Do you know them!”

“Well, I know Bianca and Ruby.” Kuma said. “And Paper over there.”

Pepper groaned.

“I take it that Paper doesn’t like you very much.” Kuri said.

Pepper suddenly erupted into rage.

“MY NAME IS NOT PAPER!” She bellowed.

———

In the end, it turned out Kuma and Kuri were going to go on the expedition with everyone. Candy was also going to go. So were the rabbits, Shadow and Mint.

With Kuma and Kuri away from the Game Kingdom, Kuma’s older cousin Puma was watching it.

“We have a full party.” Novella said. “This is going to be extra fun!”

“I don’t know about that.” Kuma said. “With so many characters here, it will be a little convoluted. Not everyone might get an adequate speaking part.”

Everyone paused for a bit.

“Then why don’t you leave the group then, Coma?” Pepper said.

“Did... did you just call me Coma?” Kuma said.

“If only you were actually in a coma.” Pepper said.

“Wha!? That was so rude!” Kuma said. “What do you have against ME?”

“No fighting!” Ruby butt in. “Why don’t you be nicer to Kuma, Pepper?”

“Yeah, be nicer...” Bianca looked at Pepper with big sad blue eyes.

Pepper took one look at Bianca’s face and sighed.

“Alright.” She huffed. “The timing of that joke was just too perfect though.”

Suddenly, Cayenne the talking red chili dog (“dog” to be taken literally) fell through the ceiling.

“Hello!” She barked. “Is there room for any more?”

———

With Pepper, Candy, and their chili dog Cayenne gone on the expedition, a team of Peanut Butlers were now watching over the castle of Sweetopia.

Bianca felt excited as she strayed further down the path.

Emi had her rabbit Mint, following her. Shadow loyally followed ruby wherever she went as well. They seemed like such smart and friendly rabbits.

“I’m sorry you guys had to put up with my annoying brother Kuma for all that time.” Kiri said to Bianca and Pepper.

“It’s fine.” Bianca said, giggling a bit.

“You’re the one who should be apologizing.” Kuma said to Kiri. “You’re my pretentious little sister.”

“Little sister?” Kiri said, agitated. “We’re twins! We were born at almost the same time, so it barely matters!”

“But I’m 6 minutes OLDER than you.” Kuma said.

“Well then, be like that.” Kiri said. “So when you’re elderly and frail, I’ll still be young and energetic!”

“Yeah, for only six minutes.” Kuma stuck his tongue out. Kiri stuck her tongue out back.

It was a typical sibling quarrel, Bianca thought. She couldn’t help but be amused. She also couldn’t help but feel a little bit lonely, being an only child. But here in Whimsica, Bianca was surrounded by friends. 

Candy began to sing a traveling song. Like Pepper, she was a good singer. It must have ran in the family.

———

“So, we’re leaving the portable villa behind?” Bianca asked Novella as everyone started heading out towards the Alphabet Forest.

“Well, if we travel far enough, our villa will automatically disappear and re-spawn somewhere near the place we traveled to!” Novella said. “It’s convenient, but we can’t automatically decide when our villa will transport.”

“But... what if it re-spawns in a dangerous place, like inside a volcano?” Bianca asked.

“The villa only chooses safe places to re-spawn, don’t worry!” Novella said.

By this time, the scenery had changed from a delicately painted storybook plain to a colder and denser forest with many pine trees. Strangely enough, the bark looked edible and there was an essence of mint in the air.

“It’s gotten cold all of a sudden.” Bianca shivered.

“Well, we are in a colder geographical location of Whimsica.” Roy said. “Shapeton and it’s surrounding areas are warmer because of geothermal activity. We’re getting close to Sweetopia, which would explain the land gradually turning into sweets. We’re also almost below the Antarctic Circle.”

“The Antarctic Circle?” Camille asked.

“Earth should have an Antarctic Circle too, should it not?” Roy said. “In Whimsica, land is plentiful in the Southern Hemisphere, with only 30 percent of its land surface being located in the North. I’ve heard that your Earth’s layout is the opposite.”

Now that Bianca thought of it, the Southern Hemisphere of Earth was rather empty. Though there was Argentina, where her grandmother was from.

Also shouldn’t it be almost summer in the Southern Hemisphere, given that it was December? Bianca (correctly) assumed that it was the opposite on Whimsica, where it would be almost winter instead. In fact, Whimsica looked almost like an upside-down Earth.

A sheet of light gray clouds began to fill the previously clear blue sky.

“Hey, it’s snowing!” Emi exclaimed.

Everyone looked up and saw white puffs of snow falling from the sky.

“Don’t you think this snow is accumulating a little fast?” Bianca mentioned. In fact, it reminded her of the snow that happened right before she got whisked away to Whimsica. That day now felt so far away.

The snow kept falling, and before anyone could run for shelter from it, it created a sheet on the ground.

Two large golems made of ice began rising up from the ground. They looked a bit like snowmen, but much more sinister. It seems that the heavy snow had summoned them out of the ground.

“What are those!?” Camille squealed, unusually for her.

“Monsters!” Replied Novella. “Don’t worry, we’ll handle them!”

“What!?” Bianca squeaked. Everything was happening too fast.

Novella, along with Emi, began to glow and transform into magical outfits.

“We’ll help too!” Candy shouted. She and Pepper began to transform into the outfits they wore as they helped Bianca fight the flan monster back in Sweetopia.

“Well then, so will I?” Bianca tried summoning her courage, but nothing was happening...

“Look out!” Roy shouted. He pushed Bianca out of the way of one of the ice golem’s attacks.

“Ah!” Bianca screamed.

“Are you okay?” Camille ran up to them.

“I’m okay...” Bianca said.

“Me and you can’t transform, so we should stay out of the way.” Roy said.

Bianca was a little surprised that Roy wasn’t able to transform like the others. Did this mean that Roy hadn’t yet fulfilled himself?

What about Kuma and Kuri? 

“We can’t transform either.” Kuri said. “My brother and I are only 12, well, not that it matters.”

“I might have ghost powers, but I still can’t transform either.” Ruby said.

“Well... I’ve fulfilled myself.” Bianca began to tell Kuma and Kuri. “But I also can’t transform on will... and neither can Camille. That’s right... our magic is ‘erratic magic’. It’s uncontrollable... at least until we can become stronger.”

Meanwhile, the other four were using magical attacks against the ice golems. Since Pepper’s element was fire, hers was the most effective. It was quite an impressive sight to Bianca.

“Anyway... I think I remember reading in your book that monsters don’t have souls.” Bianca asked to Roy. “Is it really true that they’re soulless?”

“For the most part, monsters lack a heart and a soul needed to feel emotions, including pain.” Roy started saying. “They’re made out of negative energy, and lack a conscious. They’re like objects, only they can attack and cause danger. That’s why it’s best to defeat them.“

By this time, both the golems had been defeated. In their place, they ended up dropping a few coins, and a key.

“Ah, those are loot gained from defeating monsters!” Kuri said. “The coin can be exchanged for magical items, and the key might lead to a Dungeon!”

“Dungeon!?” Bianca and Camille said simultaneously.

“Whimsica is filled with locked, hidden passageways that lead to rooms filled with treasure, guarded by monsters. Despite their danger, dungeons are often very beautiful and mysterious places.”

Treasure!? The very thought of this set Bianca’s heart racing. She began to wonder what a Dungeon would look like. Perhaps there would be ice dungeons, ocean dungeons, and fire dungeons!?

Bianca wanted to ask all sorts of things, but felt as if she would be annoying. Meanwhile, Camille was looking as enthralled as Bianca.

Candy and the rest of the four who fought the monster presented the loot they got.

“I really hope we find where this key leads to.” Emi said. “But I think we should wait until we all get stronger.”

“Agreed.” Roy said.

Could Bianca finally learn to control her magic one day?

———

They kept walking until they found a stone on the ground. All around it, there was a patch where the snow had melted. It was a bright red stone, glowing with warmth. It looked like it could be a...

“Ruby!” Emi shouted. “Look at this stone!”

Ruby began to look. When she touched the stone, however...

“Ruby?” Emi said. “Is something the matter?”

Ruby, who was usually cheerful, suddenly had sadness in her eyes.

“Ruby? Hm?” Novella asked her.

“Um... it’s fine! I mean, it’s nothing! Nothing at all!” Ruby said with a fake smile.

“Are you sure?” Camille asked.

“Well, it’s just... it’s just that I suddenly feel like I remembered something.” Ruby said. “Before I died... When I was just born... my mom and dad named me after a stone like this... but I don’t... I don’t remember my mom and dad anymore...”

Everyone grew shocked.

“Oh...” Bianca uttered.

“Gee...” Said Camille, sympathetically.

“But... it’s fine! Really, it is...” Ruby said.

“Hey Ruby.” Roy said. “You’ll find your parents again. I know you will...”

Roy suddenly put his hand on Ruby’s shoulder.

“Roy?” Ruby said. It was rare for Roy to show such a gentle side to someone, but...

“Thanks Roy...” Ruby said, emotional.

———

The group walked some more, when suddenly there were pine trees growing letters and words from their branches! Bianca looked around, bemused. It was cold, but the excitement was warming her from the inside.

“We’ve finally reached the Alphabet Forest!” Novella cheered.

There was a cozy-looking log cabin in the distance with smoke coming from the chimney.

“There’s a rest stop!” Emi said, shivering. “I can’t wait for a warm bowl of alphabet soup!”

Everyone headed for the rest stop, using the last of their energy reserves to run there quickly through the snow.

The atmosphere inside was warm and cozy the moment the crew burst in. The decor was rustic, yet inviting. A fireplace was in the corner, and there was a table large enough for everyone to sit together!

“Hello!” Said a lady who ran the rest stop. “I’m Mia. This is a rest stop for travelers! You guys sure look lively!”

Mia has a short stocky build, pale skin with freckles, and orange hair that was straight like spaghetti. A friendly face.

“Actually, we’re really, really hungry!” Kuri said. 

“Well then, I have just the thing! Warm alphabet soup, alphabet pasta, even alphabet burgers!”

Everyone’s mouths began watering. Mia bounced around the corner and called her friend, Lenora to inform that there were customers waiting.

When everyone was seated, another lady went up to take everyone’s orders. She was tall, dark skinned, and had a warm smile. Her long, voluminous dark hair was a shade of navy blue.

“My name is Lenora, what can I get for you?” She asked everyone. Everyone gave their orders.

The group ordered various different dishes, all incorporating alphabet-shaped dough in them. Bianca ordered alphabet alfredo. Alphabet spaghetti was also a popular choice, and so was classic alphabet soup. Kuma and Kuri even ordered alphabet mini waffles. Cayenne had special alphabet dog kibble. Mint and Shadow had special alphabet-shaped pellets for rabbits!

Lenora and Mia went in the back to cook the food, using tasty ingredients. They seemed like they were having fun cooking. Mushrooms seemed to be a rather popular ingredient in Whimsica...

While the group of travelers were waiting for the food, musical entertainment was also provided.

A curtain opened, and an acoustic guitarist and pianist began playing a nice jazzy melody.

The guitarist had light beige skin and short and straight brown hair. The pianist had a light brown complexion and short, bouncy magenta curls. Everyone in Whimsica looked so interesting, Bianca thought. She wanted to know everyone’s story...

The two musicians started singing in harmony. They had rather nice voices, and the song they sang was about wanting to go to land far away. It totally fit the aspirations of the explorers who were listening.

After the song ended, everyone gave a round of applause. The brown-haired girl began to blush and hide her face.

“Aw, Lita!” The other girl said, “Don’t be so shy! They liked it!”

“That’s what makes it so embarrassing, Aisha...” Lita muttered. 

Aisha bowed, forced Lita to bow, and then they walked off the stage to sit in a chair near the crew of travelers.

The food arrived, and everything was warm and steaming.

“This looks delicious!” Candy exclaimed. Mia smiled at the group.

“You know,” Lenora started saying, “I’ve always wanted to be an explorer. You guys are starting so young, I’m jealous.”

“You have such a big group too!” Mia said. “You’re all friends? Must be fun.”

Bianca thought about it for the first time, but she was surrounded by friendship. A glowing smile grew on her face.

“Yeah!” Bianca smiled. Bianca looked at Pepper. She was slightly red, but she was smiling too. Even though Pepper was grumpy, she truly thought of everyone as friends.

“Lita, it should be courtesy to greet the guests though!” It was Aisha again, leading Lita by the hand.

Lita had an uneasy look on her face. She really must have been shy.

“Hi! I’m Aisha. This is Lita, she’s my best friend in the entire world and she’s super cool!” Aisha greeted cheerfully. Lita hid under the table.

“Come on, Lita, there’s nothing to be scared of.” Mia said. Aisha was still blabbing about Lita...

“Lita is very nice and I’ve known her since middle school. We met in dodgeball. I was hurt so she shielded me from the ball and escorted me to the nurse’s office! Lita can play the guitar and she can sing and even dance! She dances flamenco really well! And she loves pizza. One time she ate fifteen pizza slices in one hour and—“

Lita put her hand over Aisha’s mouth.

“Quiet.” Lita said, softly.

Aisha took this opportunity to kiss Lita’s palm.

“Eek!” Lita shrieked.

Everyone laughed, this time even Lita.

Lenora told the group stories of her cousin Cobalt and how he was a brave explorer. She told of how she wanted to follow in his footsteps, but for now, was working in a rest stop for travelers.

“I still get to meet all sorts of interesting people from different places this way.” Lenora said. “Everyone is so filled with adventure, it’s like an adventure for myself too!”

“Where are you from, Lenora?” Candy asked.

“Cobalt and I come from Peppermint Forest. That’s way beyond the Antarctic circle, so we’re used to cold temperatures.”

“Cool! Are there polar bears there?” Kuma asked.

“Yes, but no penguins.” Lenora said. “Penguins live in the Arctic, and polar bears live in the Antarctic.”

It was the opposite of on Earth.

“However, circumpolar bears live on both poles. Circumpolar bears are blue!”

“Mia likes penguins.” Aisha said. “Mia is from the Swiss Cheese Alps.”

“Cheese, yum.” Camille said. She was imagining a cheesy mountain.

Mia was always holding a stuffed penguin. She said his name was Paolo. She placed Paolo next to Bianca’s stuffed cat Snowbell.

“You think they’re talking?” Novella said. “With their minds?”

“I’m originally from the Sandwich Islands in the Placid Ocean. I come from the Chicken Sandwich Island in particular.” Aisha said. “Then I moved to Españita and met Lita!”

Españita? Was that something like Spain? Whimsica’s equivalent, perhaps? Bianca’s mind was swimming in all sorts of thoughts.

The small log cabin was slowly filling with chatter and warmth. By the time everyone finished their meals, they were glowing with smiles.

———

The crew left the back area of the rest stop after their hour of rest. Their meals were delicious, and the four ladies running the rest stop were interesting and memorable. After a bit more walking, there was a clearing in the forest filled with colorful rabbits who walked on two legs like humans! The snow hadn’t reached this area, and everything seemed so lush and green...

“Ah, this must be the Plot Bunny Grotto!” Novella said.

“Hello!” A pink rabbit said. Bianca was thrown back because it could talk, and walk on two legs! It was like a talking animal from a cartoon.

“Hello!” Bianca said back to the rabbit.

“My name is Merengue. I’m a plot bunny.” The bunny said. “Each plot bunny has a special story inside their heart! Can I tell my story to you?”

“What?” Camille said. “Well, we’re kind of busy though...”

“That’s okay.” Merengue said. “I’ll give you a book with my story in it!”

Merengue crawled into a burrow and came back holding a book.

“The stories of plot bunnies are magical.” Merengue said. “Everyone who reads it will get to appear in it! The more people who read it, the bigger the cast of characters! Isn’t that fun!?”

“Cool!” Bianca and Camille said. “We’ll all read it sometime!”

“I just hope the story isn’t a tragedy.” Roy said. Suddenly he received a book from a blue bunny.

“That’s Muffin. She doesn’t talk.” Merengue said. “But she would love for you to read her story sometime!”

“Alright!” Everyone agreed. They said goodbye to the bunnies and left the Plot Bunny Grotto.

———

Eventually, by the time it was twilight, the group finally arrived at their destination so far. They were going to be spending the night in Marchen, the small cozy fairy tale town.

“Wow!” Bianca marveled at The buildings and sights. There was a yellow brick road running through the town, the buildings looked like miniature castles, and everything had such a whimsical feel.

“Hey, Bianca!” A voice shouted. It was Stelle!

“Stelle!?” Bianca immediately recognized Stelle, who was running towards her.

“Yeah, it’s me! How’s your exploration been going?”

“It’s been great! We’re going to stop for now and spend the night here.” Bianca said.

Stelle’s older sisters, Lunette who was a teenager, and Celestine who was in her twenties, also walked up.

“Ah!” Emi squealed. “It’s them! The Queen’s assistants!”

Stelle began to fake being modest.

“Hehe, I guess someone admires me?” She giggled.

“Yeah! This must mean Queen Rainbow is somewhere here too, right?” Novella asked.

“Man, why does everyone want to see Rainbow and not me—I mean, us?” Stelle pouted. Celestine pat her head.

“I’m afraid the Queen isn’t here, she’s back at the Royal Palace.” Celestine said. “However, when I told her about you, Bianca, she wanted you to have something.”

Bianca’s eyes fell wide open. The Queen of Whimsica had given her a gift?

Lunette handed a magical potion bottle to Bianca. The mixture inside it was slightly blue, transparent, and with big sprinkles of all sorts of different vivid colors in it.

“This is a magical potion that can bring stuffed animals to life!” Lunette said to Bianca. “It only works on stuffed animals that are loved enough, though. But don’t worry, I know that Snowbell is very special to you.”

“You’re saying that... I can make Snowbell a real cat?” Bianca squeaked.

“Yes. All you need is Snowbell, and a little piece of your heart. Make a wish, and pour the mixture on to Snowbell, and she will come alive!” Lunette spoke.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to get going now.” Celestine said. “See you all again eventually! Have fun with Snowbell!”

Celestine waved, and she and her sisters went off into the distance.

Bianca’s mind was filled with sparkles. Snowbell, her beloved stuffed cat, could finally come to life.

“Hey, Camille?” Bianca asked. “Snowbell... do you think it will work?”

“Of course!” Camille said. “Snowbell means a whole lot to you, doesn’t she?”

Bianca nodded. She placed Snowbell on the ground, opened the bottle, and made a wish that she and Snowbell could be friends forever. She gently poured the mixture on to the plush.

Sparkles of different colors began to shroud Snowbell. Suddenly, her floppy plush body reformed and became that of a real kitten’s...

Bianca’s eyes were wide with thrill as she watched. Snowbell opened her bright, clear blue eyes, and saw Bianca. She yawned and stretched. Snowbell was moving! She was alive!

“Meow!” Snowbell walked closer to Bianca.

Bianca picked up the kitten, hugged Snowbell and felt her soft fur. She began to purr. It was such a warm, tender feeling.

Bianca set Snowbell on the ground, and she immediately began wagging her long tail and taking in all the views.

Snowbell truly seemed excited and thrilled to finally be alive! Bianca was enthralled the next few minutes watching Snowbell run around, chase her tail, and rub her face against her pant legs, purring.

Snowbell was a real cat!

Snowbell then eagerly meowed at Bianca and started running down the yellow brick road, as if she wanted her to follow. 

Bianca followed Snowbell as she pranced across the little town. It was then when Snowbell accidentally jumped up high and bumped right into someone wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a scarf to hide their face...

“Ah!” The person let out a small yelp as they panicked and fell to the ground. They seemed to be afraid of cats, even a little kitten like Snowbell.

Their sunglasses and hat fell right off. They got back up, opened their eyes, and...

Ruby, who was following behind Bianca, saw a glimpse of the sparkly night-colored eyes and long smooth blonde hair like the sun’s rays. Her heart jumped right out of her chest.

She couldn’t believe it.... it was... it really was...

“SOLEIL!” Ruby squealed breathlessly. “Oh my gosh! That’s... that’s Soleil right there!”

“WHAT!?” The entire rest of the group said. All the rest of them had caught up to the scene as well.

Ruby blissfully glided on her feet towards her idol. Soleil was her star... her inspiration!

“Soleil, it’s really you!” She shouted merrily as she went to hug her. “My name is Ruby! I’m your biggest fan! I know all of your songs! My dream was always to get to be close to you... and now it’s coming truuue!”

But Ruby could never, ever be prepared for what Soleil was to do next.

Soleil resisted Ruby’s embrace, backing away and lightly pushing her back, with a scowl on her face...

Ruby’s heart instantly fell...

“Soleil...?” Ruby said, shaking. “Was... was I too a bit too sudden? I’m sorry... I was just excited to see you... please understand...”

Soleil shook her head and grimaced at Ruby.

“No. I have no intention to have anything to do with you.” Soleil said.

Ruby immediately grew shocked. Her heart burst inside of her, as if someone had dropped it...

“My fans...” Soleil continued, “I have no intention of getting close to them. All you do is act inconsiderate to me. Why do you all act the same? It’s so annoying...”

“But...” Ruby’s eyes filled with tears. She tried responding, but was getting all choked up. “Soleil... I... I’ve always admired you... so much! My dream was to meet you... I love you!”

“I’m afraid I want nothing to do with you.” Soleil said coldly, beginning to walk away.

“But... but!” Ruby began to cry. She couldn’t control the tears that fell down her cheeks.

“Hey, you there!” Camille shouted to Soleil, angrily. “Just who do you think you are!? You have some audacity!”

Pepper held Camille back before she could charge into Soleil. She was still nonchalantly going away.

“Camille, stop! It isn’t worth it!” Pepper said.

“But...” Camille said. “She was Ruby’s inspiration... and she rejected her! Argh, she makes me SO mad!”

Soleil soon turned the corner, leaving Ruby sobbing on the sidewalk.

Camille went up to comfort Ruby, then Bianca, Roy, and everyone else...

Bianca had never seen Ruby so upset, so broken. She even stayed strong when she remembered her parents. She stayed strong through so many things... But now, Bianca was finally seeing someone so strong in such a vulnerable state.

Ruby, who comforted Bianca during her time of need... 

Ruby was crying out all her emotions in Bianca’s arms. Bianca couldn’t help but want to be strong for Ruby now, after everything Ruby had done for her.

———

Meanwhile on Monochrome... 

Planet Monochrome was a dreary, dismal place. The farthest planet from Whimsica’s sun, it was always dark and cold even during midday in the summer. It constantly rained or snowed there, and there were no holidays or celebrations.

“Excuse me, Queen Obsidian, your majesty! Your nobility! Your cruelty!” Grayson, a 17-year-old boy with gray hair and a boring gray T-shirt and jeans, went up to the Queen and kneeled.

“Yes, Grayson?” The dark Queen responded. Grayson was one of the many aides who worked for the Queen.

“As I was spying on the Whimsicans, I noticed someone who could pose as a threat to our plan to destroy whimsy...”

“And that would be...?” Obsidian rolled her eyes and breathed out a puff of pitch-black smoke. She wasn’t even smoking, but she just did that a lot. Her lungs were always filled with smoke.

“Bianca Luna, a possessor of erratic magic.” Grayson said. “Her and her friend Camille Rainer seem to both possess these uncontrollable, yet strong powers.”

“Bianca Luna?” Obsidian mouthed her name. “That stupid girl Anise told me about before she became purified herself?”

“Yes, your majesty.” Said Grayson.

“Bianca Luna, huh?” Obsidian said. “Worry not. I will have a weak girl like her destroyed before she can even begin to control her magic.” Obsidian said, scoffing. “I could obliterate her with a flick of my finger, but I’d rather have you do the job. Come forth, Grayson. You, Vendetta, and Mary-Susie have a job to do.”

“Mary-Susie? Oh, man...” Grayson groaned. “You know how much I hate her!”

As soon as Grayson uttered her name, Mary-Susie, a blonde with a frilly gray dress and curly blonde pigtails in the shape of drills, appeared out of a puff of black smoke.

“Eee, Grayson! How I missed you!” Mary-Susie said dramatically, hugging the annoyed boy. She then proceeded to faint theatrically.

Vendetta, a girl with dull brown braids, stomped into the room angrily, and crossed her arms. Vendetta was always in a bad mood, and was always holding a grudge.

Mary-Susie couldn’t go anywhere without her gloomy talking dog, Melon. Melon was a “melon collie” who was rather “melancholy”. Melon, who had fluffy white fur, walked into the room with her tail between her legs, and sighed.

“Do I have to go with you guys?” She asked glumly.

“Here, take one of my noble steeds to ride.” Obsidian said. She began to summon one of her horses.

The stallion she summoned was Charlie Horse. He was a sleek dark gray horse with black hooves and a flowing silver mane. However, there was always a peculiar pain in his back left leg. In other words, he was always experiencing a “Charlie horse”, or a pulled muscle.

“Ouch! Obsidian, that hurt!” Charlie said.

“Stop your petty whining. We have some nuisances to get rid of.” Obsidian said. She began to cackle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally finished! Long chapter is long. I wrote this chapter on a cruise heading to Europe, meaning I wrote in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
> 
> This chapter is is filled with lesbian subtext that may-or-may-not-end-up-being-canon...
> 
> I'm going to start putting the dates at the beginning of each day, for continuity.
> 
> It's almost Christmas in the story now, but this story goes a bit slowly. There will be chapters about Christmas coming up, and I plan on actually writing the Christmas parts in late November or December, to help me get in the mood. Therefore, my goal is to finish all the chapters prior to the Christmas special before that time. If I end up going fast and finish them all by say, September, I'll put the series on hiatus and write other stuff.
> 
> By the way, Mary-Susie is actually NOT supposed to be a parody of a "Mary-Sue" character. She originally started out as one when I first created her though. But that was before I realized Mary-Sues aren't all that bad. So yeah, now she's just an annoying, clingy girl.
> 
> I’m sorry my villains suck. I admit that writing compelling villains is my ultimate weakness.


End file.
